‘I Was Drugged, Abused’: Daughter Presses Charges Against Domique Pelicot, France Man Jailed In Mass Rape Case
Last Updated:
Dominique Pelicot was sentenced to 20 years in prison for drugging his wife and arranging for dozens of men to rape her.
Caroline Darian has pressed charges against her father. {Photo Credit: Instagram)
Caroline Darian has spoken out against her mother, Gisèle Pelicot, in a new book after her father was convicted in France of orchestrating the mass rape of his wife. Dominique Pelicot was sentenced to 20 years in prison for drugging his wife and arranging for dozens of men to rape her while he filmed the assaults. But Darian claims she was also a victim of her father’s abuse and says her mother refused to believe or support her.
In her book So That We May Remember, Darian expresses her pain over her mother’s silence.
“It is an abandonment too many,” she wrote in her book, The Independent reported. She claims that the lack of support has reached a “point of no return.”
Darian claims that two photographs taken by her father prove she was also a victim. As per the report, the pictures showed her asleep in underwear that did not belong to her. She believes those photos were taken when she was drugged and abused just like her mother.
“These two photographs knocked me over … I am sure (there) are others. I know that I was sedated and abused by my father, but I cannot prove it,” she wrote.
During Pelicot’s trial, he denied abusing his daughter. When Gisèle was asked if she supported her daughter’s claims, she chose not to answer.
“Her silence says a lot. I am hit by this implacable reality in the face: my mother does not want to believe me or to hear me. The pain runs right through me. I have spent four years trying to be there for my mother, cherishing the bond that counted so much for me. I feel alone facing a wall of desolation and no one seems to understand,” Darian wrote in her book.
Despite her criticism, Darian acknowledged her mother’s strength during the trial as she waived her anonymity and allowed the trial to be public so that “shame will change” sides.
Darian describes her as “dignified, calm, and strong” and says, “Those who were at the trial discovered day after day this strength of character, this rectitude, this ability not to flag.”
According to the Times, Darian mentioned that psychologists had warned her that her relationship with her mother might not survive the trial.
“I nevertheless had a lingering hope. I was her only daughter. She could not let go of my hand and especially not in this courtroom. But I am forced to accept that that is the case,” she wrote.
She also criticises the justice system for the sentences given to her father’s co-defendants. She believes the court “did not grasp the importance of this weapon,” referring to drugging.
“The legal system had a historic opportunity and partially missed it,” she wrote. Darian, along with her brothers Florian and David, felt the punishment did not match the severity of the crime.
Darian has decided to take legal action and is pressing charges against her father for allegedly drugging and raping her, BBC reported.
- Location :
Delhi, India, India