The crimes were discovered in September 2020 after Dominique was arrested for taking upskirt photographs of women in a supermarket; the ensuing police investigation uncovered thousands of images and videos on his computer equipment of men raping his wife.

Gisèle's decision to waive her right to anonymity and insistence on a public trial attracted worldwide media attention and admiration.

[5] Dominique was arrested on 12 September 2020 after he had been apprehended by a security guard for upskirting women using his mobile phone at an E.Leclerc supermarket in Carpentras, near Mazan.

[6] He was released on bail pending investigation of his two mobile phones, laptop, and other digital equipment that had been seized at his home.

[5] Investigation of the equipment showed that he had solicited men to rape his wife on a forum called à son insu ('without her knowledge', lit.

[7] The website, which moved its domain registration from France to Guernsey after Dominique's arrest, was said to have been connected to more than 23,000 French criminal cases between 2021 and 2024 and was shut down in June 2024.

[5][8] On a USB stick connected to Dominique's computer, investigators found a folder called "abuses" containing more than 20,000 images and videos of his unconscious wife being raped.

[12] Images were also found on Dominique's computer of his daughters-in-law in the shower, which had been taken with a hidden camera, and of his semi-naked daughter Caroline Darian unconscious on a bed as if she had been drugged.

"[13] Dominique told investigators that the abuse started after his wife had been prescribed lorazepam (Temesta), an anxiolytic drug, which caused her to be drowsy.

[13] The men were given strict instructions, for example, to avoid smelling of fragrance or cigarette smoke, in case it alerted Gisèle to their presence.

She experienced memory loss and at times spoke incoherently, to the extent that she worried that she might have Alzheimer's disease or a brain tumour.

[5] A psychologist said that Dominique refused to accept the harm he had done, instead complaining that the trial had "destroyed his life", and that if he hadn't been arrested, he "would still be happy, and she too – everything would have continued the same way.

"[17] On 19 June 2023, Gwenola Journot, an investigating judge from the Avignon Judicial Court, published a 370-page report indicting 51 men for rape.

[21] Some of the accused admitted their guilt, whilst others claimed that the acts were consensual, with Gisèle pretending to be asleep or agreeing to be drugged, or that her husband's consent was sufficient.

[22] The courtroom was specially adapted to accommodate the large number of defendants and about sixty lawyers, with a separate transmission room for the press and public.

[23] Gisèle, who was supported in court by her three children and represented by lawyers Stéphane Babonneau and Antoine Camus, testified during the first week of the trial.

"[27] The following day, Gisèle was questioned by defence lawyers, who had selected a small number of images, from the thousands on her husband's computer, that appeared to show her conscious, sometimes with a sex toy.

Gisèle said that she found the lawyers' questions insulting, adding: "And I understand why rape victims don't press charges.

"[28] The cross examination of the remaining defendants lasted from 19 September to 19 November, with the court taking a week's break at the end of October.

Initially, for reasons of decency, presiding judge Arata had ruled to exclude journalists and members of the public from the screenings.

[30] Gisèle's three children, who were plaintiffs in the case (French: parties civiles) gave evidence on 18 November to tell of the devastation that had been wrought on their family.

Caroline Darian was convinced her father had drugged and abused her in spite of his denials, and said she felt like the forgotten victim in the case.

The last lawyer to speak, Nadia El Bouroumi, argued for her clients' acquittal while acknowledging Gisèle's lack of consent, saying they had been manipulated by a monster.

[44][45] Gisèle's decision to waive her right to anonymity and her insistence on a public trial established her as a feminist icon and raised awareness of drug-facilitated sexual assault, rape culture, and the question of consent.

Dominique initially denied both crimes but admitted the attempted rape when told that his DNA matched a sample taken at the scene.

[9][53] The DNA match had previously been noted when he was arrested for upskirting in Collégien in 2010, but at that time the police failed to pursue the matter.

[54] Dominique continued to deny the rape and murder of Sophie Narme; a DNA sample taken from the scene had been lost.

[54] In 2022, the Pelicots' daughter, who uses the pseudonym Caroline Darian, published a book about the case titled Et j'ai cessé de t'appeler Papa ('And I Stopped Calling You Dad').

[55] She also established a non-profit organisation called M'endors Pas ('Don't Sedate Me') to raise awareness of drug-facilitated sexual assault.

She told Emma Barnett on the Today programme that she suspected her father had raped her: "I know that he drugged me, probably for sexual abuse.