The bravery of Gisele Pelicot.

What a brave, brave lady - well done

It’s the weirdest case I’ve ever come across.

I agree that it is shocking. I've not read it all, too upsetting.

I've been struggling to understand how she could not have realised in the morning that sexual intercourse had occurred? The question is genuinely puzzling to me (I'm not blaming her).

Retread

I agree that it is shocking. I've not read it all, too upsetting.

I've been struggling to understand how she could not have realised in the morning that sexual intercourse had occurred? The question is genuinely puzzling to me (I'm not blaming her).

I too have wondered this. Being drugged and raped to such an extent would surely leave some evidence (for want of a better word).

Yes, that’s what I mean.

Retread

I agree that it is shocking. I've not read it all, too upsetting.

I've been struggling to understand how she could not have realised in the morning that sexual intercourse had occurred? The question is genuinely puzzling to me (I'm not blaming her).

Would you ever wake up in the morning with an uncomfortable vagina and wonder if you had been drugged and raped?
No you would probably think you had vaginal atrophy or an infection.

Her husband went to great lengths to make sure she never suspected, the rapists were told not to smoke or wear cologne before arriving, their hands were run under taps to warm them etc, I’m sure her husband “ cleaned her up” afterwards.

This poor woman had no idea what was happening.

She may have thought it was her husband and been too embarassed to tell anyone. He may have told her it was him.

Marital rape IS a thing

It's not a thing that most people want to hear about or consider, sadly. If it was less of a stigma, perhaps victims could recieve support.

What a strange strange case Surely if this was going on over 10 years she must have been pretty sore and it says she has four different sexual diseases wasnt she backwards and forwards to the doctor Didn’t she wonder where these diseases were coming from She says she was happily married didn’t she even suspect her husband of playing away and giving her a STD
Poor lady, there were some neighbours of hers too, her husband is completely depraved
Yes marital rape is a very real thing but this wasn’t marital rape she wasn’t married to these men Her husband was pimping her without her knowledge but she seemed happy with him until it all came out He must have been a real Jeckel and Hyde character he was making her happy in the daytime and harming her at night So really strange

I can't even begin to imagine what these two women went through. Civilisation has gone tits up in my opinion.

this wasn’t marital rape Whilst the vast majority was rape by others some of the photos showed her husband using her for sex while she was drugged, therefore marital rape was a component as she couldn't consent.

Rosie51

^this wasn’t marital rape^ Whilst the vast majority was rape by others some of the photos showed her husband using her for sex while she was drugged, therefore marital rape was a component as she couldn't consent.

I know it wasn't all marital rape, though some of it was, but I mean that if she was sore from the other men, because she didn't know they existed, perhaps she thought it was him? How else could she explain her state? (She had to have been bruised or had some physical symptoms?)

Women who suffer marital rape probably don't think anyone will believe them because it's their word against his (and he might be a very plausible person) So although she might have thought something wasn't ok, she might not have known what to do or had anyone to talk to, and no proof anything untoward had happened.

I agree it's not just marital rape but multiple rape, but she didn't know that, so I mean she probably chalked it up to him being insatiable.

Sago of course rape wouldn’t be the first thing that would come to mind, but if it was ongoing, or kept happening, I’d definitely have spoken to someone (e.g. my doctor) about it. She didn’t. It is simply a puzzling aspect of this case.

I do feel very sorry for her.

This is a very curious case. Mrs Pelicot was drugged and raped by up to 80 men over the course of 10 long years, during which time she contracted several sexually transmitted diseases. No matter how careful her husband instructed these men to be (no aftershave, keeping their hands warm etc) there would have been discharge, bruising, soreness and thrush along with the effects of the drug itself. The sexually transmitted diseases would also have produced symptoms.

Mrs Pelicot has insisted in court that her marriage was happy and secure and that she always considered her husband to be a good man. Yet she had an affair for 2 years which rather contradicts these statements.

I think this case is rather more complex than it seems (if that's even possible).

Poor woman
Makes you wonder if this happens to others if most of the men involved thought it was acceptable. I only say ‘most’ as some of those involved have admitted they knew it was wrong. A further 22 men haven’t even been identified or charged

What I can’t understand is if she had contracted 4 sexually transmitted diseases and she knew she hadn’t been unfaithful to her husband where was she thinking these diseases came from !!!

He is obviously a very abusive man, so who knows? Maybe she thought they were off him and was just accepting of it?

It has really disturbed me, completely beyond my comprehension that there are such devils out there!

flappergirl

This is a very curious case. Mrs Pelicot was drugged and raped by up to 80 men over the course of 10 long years, during which time she contracted several sexually transmitted diseases. No matter how careful her husband instructed these men to be (no aftershave, keeping their hands warm etc) there would have been discharge, bruising, soreness and thrush along with the effects of the drug itself. The sexually transmitted diseases would also have produced symptoms.

Mrs Pelicot has insisted in court that her marriage was happy and secure and that she always considered her husband to be a good man. Yet she had an affair for 2 years which rather contradicts these statements.

I think this case is rather more complex than it seems (if that's even possible).

I agree with you, maybe more will come out about this.🤔

Gaslighting in the extreme, I read :-

He said his client, now divorced, had believed she had an illness nobody could explain and consulted several doctors, always accompanied by her husband, who blamed her symptoms on tiredness after looking after their grandchildren. Her three children and other relatives suspected she had Alzheimer’s disease.

If people have never been in an abusive relationship, I don't think they realise just how these extremely plausible and often charming (to others) men cover all their tracks and gaslight so their victim feels she has something wrong with her mind. They gaslight the victim and lie about her to hide what they have done.

That was my feeling too oops. It is beyond peoples comprehension as they’ve not experienced it themselves. I think she would have believed it to be true 🥲 I suppose if there wasn’t video evidence would she have carried on being abused and not knowing any different?

So all this was filmed? How did the truth come out? I'm sorry I haven't been following this story. It sounds horrendous.

Well said, 00opsidia. It's such a horrific case that it's almost impossible to imagine what this poor woman went through. These abusers can be so cunning and manipulative.

Oops and JJ Please don’t judge I ve lived through an abusive relationship to a very very charming man who was adored by many I m not naive but this case is way beyond abusive
I still find things about this case severely incomprehensible
The evidence is there on the computer and he’s admitted it so it definitely happened There are even doubts about whether there could have been things happen to the daughter too apparently she has written a book about it so presumably this case has taken a while to come to court ?

keepingquiet the truth came out as he was upskirting women someone must have complained the police looked at his computer and all the 10 years of images were there

A truly unusual case of total depravity I read somewhere they may be a suspected murder involved too

keepingquiet

So all this was filmed? How did the truth come out? I'm sorry I haven't been following this story. It sounds horrendous.

The police searched their home after he was reported for up skirting and found the files

www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/sep/05/french-woman-world-fell-apart-alleged-rapes-men-invited-by-husband-gisele-pelicot

Sago

I have struggled to read this dreadful story.
I really do not know how Gisele Pelicot has got through each day in court.

Her bravery and that of her children is quite incredible.
Her waiving her anonymity was her way of reversing the shame.

We have to come to terms with the fact that supposedly normal upstanding people can be such animals.

I recently went to the ladies loos in a big supermarket, there was a man in there urinating with the door half open.

I challenged him as did another lady, my husband said, I’m sure it was innocent, I was furious with him, you know when there are no urinals you have walked into the wrong one!

This man clearly got his kicks from invading a female space and to a degree exposing himself.
This may seem petty, but these men often do go on to commit further sexual crimes.

Gisele Pelicot thought for months her husbands only crime was “upskirting” in a supermarket.
Her shock at hearing the truth she said was like being hit by a tsunami.

I pray she recovers from her ordeal and has a happier life ahead of her.

Your husband's attitude it sadly typical. Men do not stand up for women these days the way they should. Just look at our politicians who won't stand up for women and stand up for men all the time.

All the things we see now about men invading women's spaces and sports is supported by men because of their silence, acceptance and lack of support.