Gisèle Pelicot’s daughter explains why she no longer speaks to her mother after dad’s conviction

'We no longer have a father or a mother'

It surfaced that Gisèle was sedated against her will and raped numerous times by her now ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, over a near-decade period.

Dominique said to have inserted sleeping pills and other drugs into Gisèle's food. Additionally, he reportedly spoke to other men online to invite them into their home to rape her unconscious body.

Dominique would record these crimes and store them on a hard drive, which he labelled 'abuse'.

His crimes were discovered following his arrest for 'upskirting' in a supermarket. He later admitted to the abuse of his wife.

Dominique Pelicot was also found guilty of the attempted aggravated rape of the wife of one of the other co-accused, along with taking inappropriate pictures of his daughter, Caroline Darian, and his daughters-in-law.

He was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Last December, a panel of five judges delivered the verdicts for the dozens of men charged with aggravated rape and sexual assault on Gisèle in a case that captured the attention across nations.

However, Darian told the judge at the time: "I'm a forgotten victim in this case."

Earlier this year, the news surfaced that Darian was also pressing charges against her father, including accusing him of drugging and raping her.

She told the BBC: "I know that he drugged me, probably for sexual abuse. But I don't have any evidence."

Dominique Pelicot has denied the claims made against him by his daughter, and Darian claims her mother never believed her.

In an interview with The Telegraph, she also revealed why she no longer speaks to her mother, Gisèle.

"My mother let go of my hand in that courtroom. She abandoned me," she said.

"For four years, I accompanied my mum everywhere. I supported her without ever judging her. And it wasn’t always easy because she didn’t want to hear what I was telling her about Dominique.

"But in that courtroom, she was supposed to help me.

"And that I can never forgive her for. Never."

She added: "So that’s what things really look like behind the scenes.

"My mum was catapulted into the limelight; she became an icon. Meanwhile, there we were, back down on Earth, with all these unanswered questions – and we are damaged. Really damaged. And we are alone.

"That’s the truth, but people have no idea.

"We no longer have a father or a mother, today."

If you've been affected by any of the contents in this article, you can contact the 24-hour Dublin Rape Crisis Helpline 1800 778888 provides free, confidential, and non-judgmental support after sexual violence at any time.