D ominique Pelicot, the monster who horrified France by drugging his then wife, Gisele, so that other men could rape her is now caught up in other cases. Pelicot is serving a year prison term after he was found guilty in December of the horrific sexual abuse of his now ex-wife.
The rape and murder cases that Pelicot could be questioned about on Thursday date back to the s. One involves Sophie Narme, a property agent who was killed in Paris on 4 December The other is the attempted armed rape in the Paris suburb of Villeparisis, on 11 May , of another woman with a similar profile. Pelicot has been under formal investigation for both of those crimes since October β a legal status that means investigators believe there is an accumulation of serious evidence against him.
In September the two cases were grouped together into one investigation, and it was taken over by the specialised unit for cold cases and serial crimes. It operates out of the Paris suburb of Nanterre. Gisele Pelicot, 72, has become a feminist hero both at home and abroad for waiving her right to anonymity and standing up to her abusers in court. There are also signs that the case has started to shift social and medical practices in France around drug-facilitated sexual assault.
The truth only came to light in , when her husband was caught by a security guard hiding his mobile in a bag and trying to take photographs up the skirts of female shoppers in a supermarket. The Independent stands for many things, often uniquely so. It stands independent of political party allegiance, and makes its own mind up on the issues of the day. The Independent has always been committed to challenge and debate. It launched in to create a new voice and in that time has run campaigns for issues ranging from the legalisation of marijuana to the Final Say Brexit petition.
Story by Nicolas Garriga. Gisele Pelicot waived her right to anonymity PA Media.
