Dominique Pelicot, He drugged and offered his wife to 73 men for his own pleasure - France

marita rape has been subject to debate for a very long time and wasn't considered a criminal offence until a couple of decades back the logic was if a woman gave consent to her husband when exchanging vows then she couldn't take it back ever or in other simpler ways of thinking women were just considered property to be dealt with however the husband pleases or sees fit canada was the first one to consider marital rape as punishable in belgium merited rape was recognized as a criminal offense in 1989 followed by the us in 93 the uk in 2003 and many more however some countries still just turn a blind eye to the issue even if it is the reality of many women around the world today's cruise to the dark side will take us to the french department of vocaloids where the most horrible secret was uncovered and shattered a family today's recall of events are taken from the book of karolin daryong the daughter of the perpetrator a book titled or how i translated it as and i stopped calling you dad close your doors turn your lights off and let's get started caroline was 42 she had a job she loved a husband paul and a little boy tom six years old a fairly simple and fulfilling life for her her life reward around her family and her job her three brothers tomas julian the youngest her parents married since april 1973 both 68 with her father louie a big man 100 kilograms with pulmonary issues and of course her friends that day it was monday the 2nd of november 2020 like every start of the week she dropped her son in time for his classes she gave him a kiss and watched him walk in the school the pandemic still tying people to the house she headed back home to start her long working day filled with online meetings that we all know so well at 11am paul her husband came back home from work he has different working hours so he prepared a quick breakfast while texting his father-in-law to plan something for the summer he ate and headed up for a nap when he woke up he sold two missed calls from a landline in the vocals listening to the first message it was his mother-in-law caroline's mom it's me it's urgent it's about louis call me back please naturally with his respiratory issues and the pandemic he already pictured him in the crowded emergency hospital rooms waiting for an oxygen bottle barely breathing but the second message was from a police officer calling colleen's mother first he asks what's happening louis is going to jail he was caught videotaping under the scours of three ladies in a supermarket he was put under custody for 48 hours then released but in the meantime the police took his phone multiple sim cards his camera and computer what they are accusing him of is much more serious if she decided to tell her son-in-law first it was because she didn't have the strength to talk to her children yet and knew she could trust him paul vaguely understanding the gravity of the situation agreed that caroline would be informed first closing up the first call he called back the police officer who stated directly we have videos showing your mother-in-law asleep obviously drugged with a man abusing her unfazed the officer continued to deliver the terrible news each digging in abyss of confusion each showing the dark side of what they were about to be dragged in those sexual assaults date back to september 2013 according to the first pictures they found on the multiple devices that were taken from louis not less than 73 different participants men were found 50 already identified all sorts of men were on those tapes from 22 years old to 71 from all social classes students retired men fathers and even journalists your father-in-law was organizing and taping all the acts i myself had a very hard time watching them all and we are far from done digging through all the tens of thousands of files paul had only one thought at that moment getting out of the house running away running away so his wife didn't see him allowing her just a few more hours in that peaceful life they thought they had that peaceful life they took for granted that was about to crumble into pieces at exactly 8 25 caroline's phone rang it was her mother she will always remember that exact time people who lived through a trauma tend to remember one particular detail a smell a sound a feeling a tiny detail that for most might seem unimportant but that will take a huge place in their mind for her it was that time set in white on the microwave 8 25 with a trembling voice her mom started karo your father is under detention since this morning he won't be able to get out he will go to jail caroline started shaking not understanding what was happening but her mother continued your father drugged me with sleeping pills and other drugs he invited other men in our house while i was passed out in our bedroom i saw multiple pictures of me sleeping on my stomach with a different men every time all strangers caroline could not hold the boiling emotions inside of her hearing all that she started just screaming insulting her father she wanted to break everything karo is the truth i saw the pictures i thought my heart was going to stop beating the officer told me there were many videos and wanted me to watch one but i couldn't she started crying caroline held tired by her husband who tried to support her however he could but she wasn't there anymore she was far in her thoughts gone the happy images of her childhood just rolling around in her head the road trips in that black renault 25 were you always that deranged man was anything real or just a lie who are you she wondered the horrors lasted eight years since they decided to go live in the vocals after her mother retired no one saw anything no one not even her mother with the expert does it she was subjected to she forgot everything but having that piece of information everything started to make sense her sudden memory losses that only happened when at home but never with her or her kids her incoherent conversations they were all worried for her considering a start of alzheimer her the hyper woman always doing something was suddenly tired all the time but her father always pushed it aside saying it was just stress she didn't listen to herself and didn't know when to stop and while with age it just showed more but with time she was losing weight losing her hair her health was getting worse which worried her in turn causing even more problems insomnia impacting her daily life she was physically and mentally fragile colleen could see her mother changing but no one could find any reason and despite the 700 kilometer distance her children did push her to see doctors neurologists mainly for three years since 2017. she had all sorts of tests but nothing no one could determine what was wrong and despite the fact that she also had vaginal bleeding even if she was well into her menopause opening the pad to some scary possibility still nothing was found her last episode dated the 22nd of october 2020. finishing up the call with caroline the mother then continued and contacted her other kids kaolin still in a state of disbelief contacted her youngest brother who just learned the news cowling could could hear the same disbelief and guilt in his voice and words particularly that dinner of summer 2018 after having spent a few days at their parents place with his two daughters and wife they witnessed the most terrifying scene a few minutes after starting to eat their mom was suddenly inert her elbows dropped barely sitting up straight in her chair like she was drunk and suddenly her body sort of ran out of all energy like a doll that ran out of battery she wouldn't move wouldn't respond to them or react to anything like hypnotize her eyes were completely empty not preoccupied one minute louis their father quickly stated it happened to her sometimes and she just needed rest and took her upstairs in reality the drugs were kicking in he put them right before in her cup of jose mixing alcohol and strong doses of multiple drugs not caring for the health or safety of his wife one single bit the mother of his kids he met when they both were 18 and married soon after the mother who despite all his failed businesses and shady partners bad money management putting the family in precarious situations kept the family afloat the woman who after the divorce he instigated supposedly due to financial issues he didn't want to impose on her took him back years later he always complained and never owned up to the responsibility of his actions it was just never his fault the next day of the shattering call on the 3rd of november caroline and her brothers met to go and support their mother and be there for her after an intense moment at the train station between the four siblings they met their mother at the police station she seemed lost floating in her clothes hand hidden in her purple coat eyes just empty looking away without knowing what was going on not really grasping the reality they entered the station your father your father had the habit of regularly drugging your mother to rape and film her and then post it online since september 2013. in reality they started as early as the 23rd of july 2011 in paris he used a dating website to post the pictures and find men interested in abusing her attracting them with those pictures his goal wasn't financial their father then acted for his own pleasure him who had problems keeping businesses afloat he certainly didn't have an issue with this hobby hiding the drugs in the garage and hiking shoe under tennis socks an important quantity was hidden there provided by the local doctor's prescriptions putting doubt on the complicity of that man shocked the siblings discovered he had ordered a series of std tests including hiv in march 2020 and according to his medical receipts he was a regular consumer of viagra he not only offered his wife to the first agreeing male but didn't force any protection hell he even prevented it the police in this case were doing a tremendous job with the short time they had to put together a full case they were working night and day analyzing all the documents as fast as they possibly could however the psychological evaluation and mainly follow-up were non-existent after all the horrendous life-shattering information that was given to the family they were left completely alone to fend for themselves to deal with the trauma and piece things together somehow back at the family home the newly orphaned family tried to forget but it was impossible back there with the smell of their father everywhere the pictures the painting he made himself they couldn't stay there and were quickly working on gathering everything they needed to vacate the house in three-day stops caroline was in the kitchen when her phone rang again it was the police officer they just parted with he needed her to be back at the police station in front of the hesitation of caroline he insisted they found elements that concerned her shaking once in the station she was shown two pictures two pictures of her sleeping in the exact same position on her left side a very odd position for her that she would have never taken naturally it's night in the picture but the artificial light of the side table lamb gives enough detail that she is wearing a white pajama top and a beige underwear the cover is lifted on the right side so as to properly distinguish her bottom she is asleep she can't remember that night doesn't even know exactly where she is or when that was taken did he drug her most probably she has a very light sleep and just anything can wake her up did he take advantage of the situation it was her on the picture and toma her brother who accompanied her confirmed it she was now officially one of his victims she couldn't remember on the spot but she will that picture was taken in 2013 in her house in her bedroom before her son was even born she remembers the bed sheets [Music] back home her mother couldn't believe her she couldn't believe this new information as if it was still okay that he did that to her but to her daughter it seemed like she couldn't accept it and from then on her copying mechanism was simply denial taking care of all the house business caroline discovered that her mother was completely dependent on louis he was doing everything and made sure she wasn't aware of anything contracting debts under her name even the day of his convocation at the police station after the complaints were filed by the three women at the supermarket he didn't tell her the truth at all he just twisted it to his advantage and pretended to a big big mistake that he didn't know really what took hold of him at just a moment of craziness promising to get help and go voluntarily see a psychiatrist in reality he was forced but he was calm and composed on the way to the station he had already canceled the board trip with his grandchild pretending to some excuse not to leave his wife alone just lying making sure no one heard of this little incident but he wasn't expecting to be caught the psychological evaluation of their father revealed a tendency towards voyeurism as in enjoying watching others in intimate occasions but not only pictures of him with other women were found them as well in conscious laying inert caroline's mom a woman wife and mother who simply thought her husband made a mistake that he would be scalded and sent back home ended up being asked intimate questions about her sexual life and habits with her husband was told she was taking advantage of cheated on abused and now needed to file a complaint against her husband it was a nightmare back to her place broken she found a completely messy house left like that by the police who came to find some evidence in a state of shock mute in a daze like someone just pressed autopilot she reordered her house cleaned clothes ironed them and prepared a bag for her husband to bring them to the police station on the 6th of november still dealing with the mess at the house trying to figure out all the mortgages and credits their father took under their mother's name the family learned that the media took advantage of the situation and was already publishing articles overwhelmed with the situation caroline broke and fall into a hysteric crisis an ambulance was called and she was taken to the psychiatry emergency there they give her pills to calm her down and make her sleep her worst nightmare she was uncontrollably losing touch with reality and sliding on her left side just like in the pictures she will stay there for the night between the bleached bed sheets and the screams of other patients in the dark and cold hallways after that her mom left and preferred to stay with her brothers alternating between them caroline tried to find a sort of balance back thankfully their mother tested negative for hiv but in this horrible tragedy many people were impacted including tom her son who couldn't understand why he wouldn't see his grandfather anymore his papu like he called him hurting the family in its entirety all generations included caroline promised herself then that her son would not be like him he wouldn't follow into his grandfather's footstep who seemed to have taken from his own father dennis more than he thought talking to dennis was impossible he was always right and imposed his point of view without ever doubting himself he considered women to be inferior beings and constantly belittled them for him they had a limited intelligence and were only meant to clean and it seemed according to louis to be raped without uttering a word as soon as louie's mother was dead denise married his adoptive daughter lucille that he raised since they were a foster family lucille poor girl she was a shallow for human being she didn't even have the right to change tv channels without permission would only go out once a week to give books back to the library and barely knew how to read she looked so old why she barely blew her 25th candle when denise died in 2004 lucille was admitted to a psychiatric hospital suffering from dementia two weeks passed since the terrible news and colleen was back to work but started to write to ease her heart and soul from those demons her father created and sent in their life to destroy every part of it her mom was more and more in denial and constantly thinking of that abusive husband kaolin thought she suffered the stockholm syndrome that pushes the victim to sympathize and in cases even fall for their abuser you know your dad isn't good where he is he is suffering you know i probably missed something during these last years her mother told her one day louis had illegally contacted her through friends it was the first of four letters he will send to try and manipulate the family and eventually succeed at dividing them for some time the first one reads my friends i know i disappointed you but you are my only link with the outside world because i don't have the right to contact my family that i miss terribly beside anxiety fear emptiness and solitude it is horrible here i know i am here to pay for what i did to the love of my life to my family to my friends but it's too late i don't know where i'm going and how it will all end i'm reaching out to you in the name of the past friendship we shared because i need you to pick up items for me and drop them at the prison my light brown leather jacket my gray adidas jacket my nike sneakers my thick linen gray sweater and a belt both my pens are way too big now for my clothes you can drop them at the entrance of the prison but don't put anything else beside what i asked for well if you have any friendship towards me that is i'm asking you to be kind i'll be behind bars for a while and i'm asking myself all sorts of questions what everything will become the house and everything else the worst here is boredom we go out only one hour per day and we are two percent it's hard for me i know the pain i have caused to the one i love more than anything else in the world that i will lose my family grandkids and never be able to get over it one day as if i abandoned them i can't sleep at night i lose weight but it's probably what i deserve i miss you all i am ashamed and if you get in touch with them tell them i'm sorry particularly to my love i will also ask you to provide me with all my grandchildren's birthday dates so i don't lose touch with reality when i think that i will never be able to meet my soon to come grandchild julian's son it is very very hard the contrast between the father they knew and the language he uses on the website to describe their mother was shocking he bragged about the cocktails that he perfected over the years and even shared the recipe with fellow husbands who had the same sort of twisted perverse ideas he even described the time he agreed with a man so he could abuse that said man's wife in a very light tone he described how while in the bedroom in the dark he was pulling his pants down when the light was turned on and the woman was awake looking at him she probably figured out what was happening and avoided the drinks served by her thoughtful husband but louis wasn't so careless before an agreement took place louis made sure to find the proper candidates who shared his interest for the rape mode like he calls it once satisfied he shared the rules no smoking and strong perfume no phones all clothes needed to be left at the entrance in the case they needed to quickly escape he explained that the person needed to clean their hands with hot water all of this in order to avoid any risk of waking up the victim his wife and for the pleasure of the participants and their excitement he proposed for them to watch the previous rapes before entering the room where silence and only whispers are allowed caroline and her mother though weren't the only family member that fell victims to the perverse mind of that patriarch the pictures of his son's wife as well were found later on pictures dating as early as 2011 he would put cameras in the bathroom and rooms when they would visit or when he would go visit them his perverse mind went so far as to create a collage of the naked bodies of his wife and daughter to compare them publishing it on the website with all sorts of degrading description he always swore that he never touched his daughter or wanted to it was all simple curiosity curiosity that never stopped dating pictures as late as july 2020 who was that man she called dad her whole life caroline always felt like the adult she was never protected from the relationship issues and the financial problems the family had she was nine when she saw her dad being abusive to her mother lifting her from the collar of her blouse she was against the wall of the bathroom her feet hovering a few centimeters above the floor her mother wanted to leave him at that point and he couldn't accept it she did though some time after when the same thing happened again he gave himself permission to do everything and it comes at no surprise that he would use his daughter as his own bank taking money from her without letting her know when she was younger but was he all so bad she can still remember him taking her home every day from school pushing them to study so they have a better future than him despite his flaws they loved him were they all so blind to what was right in front of them she wondered she felt betrayed the last letter they received was an apology letter from their father as per the end of the book 34 men who were caught are now in prison one of them being a neighbor her mother prefers to remember the good the man she loved symbolically caroline changed the third name of her son who used to have her father's name louise case won't be put in court until 2024 like she states in her book not all rapists look like dangerous psychopaths most of them you would gladly invite them home for dinner and not all the rapes happen in a dark alley or an empty parking lot majority of them are perpetrated with people from your circle people you know fathers brothers grandfathers cousins but also partners to all the victims of abuse from strangers or close family members i hope you learned something in today's story until next time stay safe