This article references sexual assault and rape.
In November 2020, Caroline Darian’s world as she knew it fell apart. Over a period of nine years, Dominique Pelicot, the man she had known as her beloved father, had drugged and raped her mother, Gisèle Pélicot, while she was unconscious, inviting at least 47 more men to do the same.
Police discovered evidence of the crimes after arresting Dominique Pelicot in September 2020 for taking upskirting photographs of women in a supermarket, seizing his computer and finding over 20,000 images and videos of men raping Gisèle. Files also included semi-naked pictures of an unconscious Caroline, as well as images taken with a hidden camera of his daughters-in-law in the shower.
The subsequent trial hit the headlines around the world, with a shocking number of 51 defendants, all sourced by Dominique Pelicot on online forums, chat rooms and Skype. What shocked many was the number of men willing to commit such violent crimes, aged between 21 and 68 at the time, including firefighters, journalists, nurses, plumbers and truck drivers, not to mention the thousands of men who saw adverts to abuse Gisèle and said… nothing.
After experiencing these shocking crimes, Gisèle Pelicot chose to waive her anonymity for the case that gripped the world, appearing publicly against her rapists with her daughter, Caroline, and her two sons by her side. It was a bold statement and a refusal to be ashamed of someone else’s actions – or, as Gisèle has put it, helping shame switch sides.
During the trial, Dominique maintained he had not abused his daughter.
With Dominique Pelicot and all 50 co-defendants sentenced to years behind bars, Gisèle has become an icon of strength and resilience. Now, her daughter Caroline is sharing her own experiences, speaking to Emma Barnett in a new documentary airing tonight at 7 pm on BBC2. Here are 10 things we learned from her interview…
1. Caroline doesn’t believe the men who raped her mother were given long enough sentences
While Dominique Pelicot received 20 years in prison for his heinous crimes – the maximum sentence – 50 other defendants received between three and fifteen years in jail for rape, attempted rape and sexual assault. Caroline told Emma that she didn’t think those sentences were long enough.
“I’m not sure the final verdict was what I expected. The majority of [the defendants] only took between three and ten years,” she said. “To me, it’s not enough.”
“The protests all over France showed that Gisèle is not alone. Every victim deserves to have that support.”
2. The Pelicot family made a collective decision to waive their anonymity
Much has been said of Gisèle’s powerful decision to publicly attend her rape trial. In this new interview, we learn that the Pelicots made this choice “as a family,” so that the men accused could face their victims. Gisèle, Caroline and her two brothers wanted shame to change sides. Caroline revealed that while her mum made the final decision, the whole family was supportive, with Caroline being the most convinced from the start.
3. The first person Gisèle contacted after discovering the crimes against her was Caroline’s husband
Gisèle found out about her abuse on 2nd November 2020, after a search of Dominique Pelicot’s computer found incidents of rape committed on Gisèle by 72 different men. We know now the first person Gisèle called was Caroline’s husband, telling him that her “world has collapsed” and she needed to find the best way to tell her children what had happened. Of her three children, Gisèle told Caroline first, with Caroline initially thinking that her mother was about to tell her that Dominique Pelicot had died or been injured.
4. Caroline identified several pictures of herself found on Dominique Pelicot’s computer by her birthmark
When the police searched Dominique Pelicot’s devices, they found images of Caroline unconscious, wearing underwear that was not her own. The position was the same as her mother when she was drugged. When shown these images by the police, Caroline says she dissociated and struggled to recognise herself in the pictures. It was only once the police pointed out the birthmark visible in the images that she started to accept she had also been drugged.
From Prima Facie to How to Have Sex, art has become the bedrock of change.
5. She believes that Dominique Pelicot raped her while she was drugged
Unlike her mother, Caroline has no evidence that she was sexually abused. However, she is convinced that Dominique Pelicot did rape her. “I know that he drugged me, probably for sexual abuse, but I don’t have any evidence,” she said.
While Dominique Pelicot has always denied abusing Caroline, his changing versions of events make Caroline believe that he is lying.
6. She thinks that Dominique Pelicot should die in prison, and she will never see him again
During the 2024 trial, after Dominique Pelicot denied abusing Caroline, she shouted angrily “I’ll never see you again, you’ll die alone like a dog!” She stood by this sentiment in the interview with Emma, stating that Dominique Pelicot would die alone in lies. She told the presenter that the outburst was necessary as her final chance to speak to Dominique Pelicot, as she knew she would never visit the man in prison or see him again.
7. Caroline has lost the memories of Dominique Pelicot as her father
Caroline’s book, I’ll Never Call Him Dad Again, shares memories of growing up with her family, recalling how Dominique Pelicot would support Caroline as a child and in her dancing ambitions. However, the overwhelming trauma experienced over the past five years has replaced these memories for Caroine, who now sees him as a “stranger.”
“I don’t remember the father he was. He is a sexual criminal,” she said, noting that there’s a part of her life that no longer exists.
Gender-based violence is not inevitable.
8. She feels a responsibility to speak up for victims who don’t have evidence of their assault
In the BBC interview, Caroline made a strong case for supporting other victims of sexual assault. “The only difference between my mum and me is I don’t have any evidence,” she said, “and that’s the case for so many other people. A lot of victims aren’t believed because they have no evidence, so I feel a responsibility to speak up,” she continued.
Caroline spoke about her commitment to engaging with other “invisible victims” and driving awareness that chemical submission is not just done with drugs like GHB. “It’s painkillers, it’s sedatives, it’s in your family medicine cabinet, it’s coming from the inside,” she said, adding that 40% of victims know their abuser.
9. She believes Dominique Pelicot was always a sexual pervert
The mass rape of Gisèle Pelicot was not the first time Dominique Pelicot attempted to commit a sexual assault. In 1999, he attempted to rape a young female estate agent, with Caroline wondering how many other people he did assault and rape in his lifetime who are still invisible.
“He was always a sexual pervert,” she told Emma firmly. “There’s no way you just wake up and think [things like] that,” she said. When asked if she thought Dominique Pelicot was a monster, Caroline asserted that he was perfectly in his right mind. “He did what he did consciously,” she said.
10. Her son is fully aware of Dominique Pelicot’s crimes, and she wants to continue to educate boys
With her own young son, Caroline had to make the difficult decision to explain why he would never see his grandfather again. “They were very close,” she shared, adding that she wanted her son to know everything that had happened.
Caroline continues her work as an advocate for other victims of sexual assault, with a key focus on educating boys from a young age. “We need to open the dialogue,” she said, hoping to move forward with optimism, positivity and love for her family.
Pelicot Trial: The Daughter’s Story is available on BBC iPlayer.
For more information about reporting and recovering from rape and sexual abuse, you can contact Rape Crisis on 0808 500 2222.
If you have been sexually assaulted, you can find your nearest Sexual Assault Referral Centre here. You can also find support at your local GP, voluntary organisations such as Rape Crisis, Women's Aid, and Victim Support, and you can report it to the police (if you choose) here.
The resources and helplines you need to know.
