Gisèle Pélicot’s son calls father ‘devil incarnate’ at mass rape trial

As case enters final days of testimony family say they want truth about any other victims

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Gisèle Pélicot’s sons have taken the stand against their father, with one labelling him the “devil incarnate” and the other urging the 71-year-old to tell the truth “about what you did to my sister”.
In a case that has appalled France, for a decade Dominique Pélicot drugged his wife and invited dozens of men to rape her.
He has been in the dock along with 49 other men since early September in the Vaucluse criminal court in Avignon, southern France.
The victim, Ms Pélicot, has become a feminist icon by demanding the trial be open to the public to raise awareness about the use of drugs to commit sexual abuse and so that “shame changes sides”.
The last four defendants are set to complete their testimony this week.
Addressing his father in the dock, Florian Pélicot, the younger son, said to him: “You said [our mother] was a saint, but you were the devil incarnate.”
Mr Pélicot’s oldest child David, 50, spoke of how the family collapsed when his father’s crimes emerged.
“For me, this is the trial of a whole family, which has been totally destroyed. And it’s very complicated to explain to your children that they won’t be seeing their grandfather again.”
“Above all, we hope that in the future, we will be able to erase the man to my left from our minds,” he went on. Throughout his testimony, David described his father as “this gentleman” and expressed hope he and his co-defendants “will be punished for the horrors and atrocities they committed against my mother”.
Earlier, David had described the “tsunami” the family had gone through when, in autumn 2020, they learnt of their father’s actions after he was arrested for “up-skirting” in a nearby supermarket.
In the space of two days, the children had moved all their belongings “from the house of horror” where the events took place, in the Provence village of Mazan.
In her final appearance, their sister Caroline Darian, 45, (a pen name), who has already testified, said she had been “forgotten” during the trial, adding she was convinced that she too had been drugged and sexually assaulted by her father, like her mother.
“The only difference between her and me is the lack of evidence concerning me. For me, it’s an absolute tragedy,” said Ms Darian, who in 2022 wrote a book “Et j’ai cesse de t’appeler Papa” (“And I stopped calling you Dad”).
“In your disgusting files,” she told her father, “you don’t look at me like a father looks at his daughter.
“But you will never have the courage to tell the truth,” she added.
Mr Pelicot has confessed to being a rapist. He denies however that he has abused his daughter.
Looking his father in the eye, David urged their father to tell the court “about what you did to my sister, who suffers every day and will suffer for the rest of her life, because I don’t think you’ll ever tell the truth!”
“And about my son too,” David added, referring to exchanges between Mr Pelicot and one of his grandchildren, whom he had allegedly asked to “play doctor”.
His father insisted he had done “nothing” to them.
Of the co-defendants, only 14 have admitted the charges of aggravated rape, for which most of them face up to 20 years’ imprisonment.
The others deny having raped Ms Pélicot and maintain that they thought they were taking part in sex games.
Once the children are heard, Mr Pélicot and Ms Pélicot will be given a final opportunity to speak.
Prosecutors are then scheduled on Thursday and Friday to give their closing arguments and make their sentencing demands for the defendants.
The verdict is expected to be delivered by Dec 20 at the latest.