Gisele Pelicot found out about the horrific abuse she endured in 2020 when her husband, Dominique Pelicot, was arrested for upskirting women in a supermarket. During the police investigation, thousands of images and videos were discovered on his devices showing Gisele, drugged and unconscious, being sexually assaulted by him and dozens of other men. Gisele was shocked and devastated when police showed her these images, as she had no memory of the assaults due to being drugged. This revelation came as a complete collapse of the life she had known for 50 years, marking the moment she became aware of the decade-long abuse she had suffered unknowingly while under the influence of drugs administered by her husband.
To summarize how she found out:
- Her husband's unrelated arrest for upskirting led police to investigate his devices.
- Police found thousands of images and videos of Gisele being assaulted while unconscious.
- She was shown these by police in November 2020, which was the shocking moment of discovery.
- Prior to this, she experienced memory lapses and health issues, not realizing the cause was abuse.
This discovery triggered a landmark trial beginning in 2024, where Gisele courageously waived anonymity and became a public figure advocating for victims of sexual assault.
