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My husband drugged me for others to rape me – Woman

Published

7 months ago

September 7, 2024

My husband drugged me for others to rape me – Woman

Warning: This story contains distressing details from the start.

A French woman who was raped by unknown men over 10 years after being drugged to sleep by her husband told a court of her horror at learning how she had been abused.

Gisèle Pélicot, who is 72, was giving evidence on day three of the trial in Avignon, south-east France, of 51 men – including her husband of 50 years, Dominique. All are accused of rape.

Documents before court indicate that Dominique Pélicot, 71, admitted to police that he got satisfaction from watching other men have sex with his unconscious wife.

Many defendants in the case contest the rape charge against them, claiming that they thought they were taking part in a consensual sex game.

But Gisèle Pélicot told the court she was “never complicit” in the sexual acts and had never pretended to be asleep.

This is a case that has shocked France, all the more so because the trial is being held in public.

Gisèle waived her right to anonymity to shift the “shame” back onto the accused, her legal team has previously said.

Taking the stand on Thursday, she said she was speaking for “every woman who’s been drugged without knowing it… so that no woman has to suffer.”

She recalled the moment in November 2020 when she was asked by police to attend an interview alongside her husband.

He had recently been caught taking under-skirt photographs of women at a supermarket, and Gisèle told the court she believed the meeting with police was a formality related to that incident.

“The police officer asked me about my sex life,” she told the court. “I told him I had never practised partner-swapping or threesomes. I said I was a one-man woman. I couldn’t bear any man’s hands on me other than my husband’s.

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“But after an hour the officer said, ‘I am going to show you some things which you will not find pleasant’. He opened a folder and he showed me a photograph.

“I did not recognise either the man or the woman asleep on the bed. The officer asked: ‘Madame, is this your bed and bedside table?’

“It was hard to recognise myself dressed up in a way that was unfamiliar. Then he showed me a second photo and a third.

“I asked him to stop. It was unbearable. I was inert, in my bed, and a man was raping me. My world fell apart.”

Gisèle said that up until then their marriage had been generally happy, and she and her husband had overcome a number of financial and health-related difficulties. She said she had forgiven the upskirting after he promised her that it had been a one-off incident.

“All that we had built together had gone. Our three children, seven grandchildren. We used to be an ideal couple.

“I just wanted to disappear. But I had to tell my children their father was under arrest. I asked my son-in-law to stay next to my daughter when I told her that her father had raped me, and had me raped by others.

“She let out a howl, whose sound is still etched on my mind.”

In the coming days, the court will hear more evidence from the investigation, about how Dominique allegedly contacted men via sex-chat websites and invited them to his suburban home in Mazan, a town north-east of Avignon.

Police claim the men were given strict instructions. They had to park at some distance from the house so as to not attract attention, and to wait for up to an hour so that the sleeping drugs which he had given Gisèle could take effect.

They further claim that, once in the home, the men were told to undress in the kitchen, and then to warm their hands with hot water or on a radiator. Tobacco and perfume were not allowed in case they awoke Gisèle. Condoms were not required.

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No money changed hands.

According to the investigation, Dominique watched and filmed the proceedings, eventually creating a hard-drive file with some 4,000 photos and videos on it. It was as a result of the upskirting episode that police found the files on his computer.

Police say they have evidence of around 200 rapes carried out between 2011 and 2020, initially at their home outside Paris, but mainly in Mazan, where they moved in 2013.

Investigators allege that just over half the rapes were carried out by her husband. Most of the other men lived only a few kilometres away.

Asked Thursday by the judge if she knew any of the accused, Gisèle said she recognised only one.

“He was our neighbour. He came over to check our bikes. I used to see him at the bakery. He was always polite. I had no idea he was coming to rape me.”

Gisèle was then reminded by the judge that in order to respect the presumption of innocence, it had been agreed in court not to use the word rape but “sex scene”.

She replied: “I just think they should recognise the facts. When I think of what they have done I am overcome with disgust. They should at least have the responsibility to recognise what they did.”

After the truth emerged, Gisèle found that she was carrying four sexually-transmitted diseases.

“I have had no sympathy from any of the accused. One who was HIV-positive came six times. Not once did my husband express any concern about my health,” she said.

She is now in the process of divorcing him.

After speaking for two hours in front of Dominique and the other accused, she said: “Inside me, it is a scene of devastation. The façade may look solid… but behind it…”

My husband drugged me for others to rape me – Woman

BBC

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Troops destroy terrorists hideout in Taraba, kill 3 bandits

Published

18 hours ago

April 6, 2025

Trends Admin

Troops destroy terrorists hideout in Taraba, kill 3 bandits

Troops of 6 Brigade Nigerian Army/Sector 3 Operation WHIRL STROKE (OPWS) have neutralised three bandits, destroyed several camps, and recovered arms and ammunition in a daring clearance operation in Karim Lamido Local Government Area of Taraba State.

The operation which took place yon April 5, 2025 is in continuation of the ongoing military operations codenamed Operation Lafiya Jamaa aimed at flushing out criminal elements from Taraba State.

This is contained in a press statement issued by the Acting Assistant Director of Army Public Relations, 6 Brigade, Captain Olubodunde Oni.

According to the statement, the operation, which targeted suspected bandits’ hideouts, saw troops advancing to Achalle where they thoroughly cleared the general area before projecting further force into Chibi.

“On arrival at Chibi, the troops made contact with the bandits, who began fleeing upon sighting the advancing forces,” the statement read.

“In the engagement that ensued, three bandits were neutralized, and several makeshift camps used by the criminals were destroyed. Troops also recovered 2 motorcycles, 1 AK-47 magazine, and 13 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition from the scene.”

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The troops also conducted a thorough combing of the Dutsen Zaki and Achalle axis where over seventy criminal camps have been dismantled in recent weeks.

Oni stated that no human activity was observed during this latest sweep, indicating the sustained success of previous operations.

While commending the troops for their resilience and tactical success, the Commander 6 Brigade Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Kingsley Uwa, reassured the people of Taraba State that there would be no haven for terrorists and criminal elements in the state.

He urged residents to remain vigilant and law-abiding while continuing their lawful daily activities without fear or intimidation.

General Uwa further encouraged members of the public to continue providing timely and credible information to security agencies, noting that such collaboration remains vital to supporting ongoing operations and enhancing the safety and security of communities.

Troops destroy terrorists hideout in Taraba, kill 3 bandits

metro

Ban smartphones, social media in varsities, don advises authorities

Published

19 hours ago

April 6, 2025

Trends Admin

Ban smartphones, social media in varsities, don advises authorities

Dr Saeed Olorunnisola, the interim Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture at Al-Hikmah University in Ilorin, Kwara State, has urged the federal and state governments to prohibit the use of smartphones in secondary and tertiary schools.

Olorunnisola stated that the prohibition will help students concentrate in class.

During the Mission for the Eradication of Examination Malpractice’s second national symposium in Osogbo, Osun State, on Saturday, Olorunnisola expressed concern about the impact of examination malpractices on education and national development, citing social media as a major impediment to students’ concentration even in secondary schools.

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“Social media is causing distraction in secondary schools. Tertiary institutions are the worst. Students don’t care any longer. Some of them are taking photo shot of notes and they will not read them. They are usually on social media.

“What we have right now is a misuse of technology and it must be taken away. We have a university that has banned their undergraduate from using mobile phones,” he said.

Speaking on the need for government to act and assist young learners to concentrate in class, the don said ban on the use of smartphones by a particular university that he did not disclose eventually assisted its students to concentrate more in class.

In his remarks, Prof Buniyameen Abdulkareem, Chairman of the MEEM Board of Trustees, stated that the group, a non-governmental organisation founded by the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria B-Zone, organised the symposium for policymakers, students, and teachers after realising the need to stem the tide of rising examination malpractices in the country.

Ban smartphones, social media in varsities, don advises authorities

metro

Nurse leaves US, seeks new life in Nigeria, says everything not money

Published

19 hours ago

April 6, 2025

Trends Admin

Nurse leaves US, seeks new life in Nigeria, says everything not money

A Nigerian nurse, Judith Okoli, has made headlines after leaving her nursing job in the United States and relocating permanently to Nigeria in pursuit of a more fulfilling and balanced life.

At a time when many Nigerians are seeking greener pastures abroad, Okoli’s decision has stunned many and sparked intense conversations about wealth, happiness, and the true meaning of a good life.

“Everyone is asking me, ‘Why did you leave America? Are you okay? You want to suffer in Nigeria?’” she said in Pidgin English in a heartfelt video shared online. “But I hope you guys know that money is not everything — at least, to some people. At least, to me.”

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According to Okoli, her decision was not a spontaneous one but born out of deep reflection and an increasing awareness that wealth doesn’t always equate to wellness or fulfillment.

“Someone can make N100 but be miserable — insulted at work, restless, disconnected from life. Then another person makes just N50, but they are happy, they spend quality time with their family, they sleep well, they enjoy peace of mind. For me, it’s about quality of life.”

She lamented how the pursuit of economic gain in the West often strips people of the things that matter most — community, connection, and contentment.

“Look at what the Western world is doing to us,” she said. “Families are scattered. One child is in Germany, another in Canada, another in Dubai. Six siblings haven’t seen each other in three years — all in the name of seeking a better life, but forgetting about the quality of life.”