Latest news with #Pelicot
Irish Independent
23-07-2025
- Irish Independent
Dominique Pelicot could avoid prosecution for 1991 murder due to lost evidence
Police officers are not able to find clothes found at the scene of the murder of 23-year-old estate agent Sophie Narme, who was raped and strangled in 1991, according to Paris Match. Florence Rault, the lawyer representing the victim's family, told the magazine that a search was carried out for the clothes at the beginning of this year, but 'no one has been able to get their hands on' them. The clothes could provide crucial DNA evidence for the case, by linking it to another attempted rape case from 1999 which Pelicot has admitted involvement in. Last year, the 72-year-old was imprisoned for 20 years after inviting dozens of strangers he met online to rape his unconscious wife, Gisele Pelicot, who he had drugged in their home for more than 10 years. Pelicot was accused of the 1991 rape and murder of Ms Narme and the attempted rape of another woman (19) eight years later. Pelicot has consistently denied the allegations relating to Ms Narme. Ms Narme's murder took place on December 4, 1991, after she made her way to an appointment with a potential buyer, Paris Match reported. After she failed to return home, Ms Narme's mother alerted her employer, who sent someone to the apartment where she had been giving a viewing. She was found face down with her belt tied around her neck, after having been strangled to death and raped by her murderer. Three years ago, Pelicot admitted assaulting the other woman, also an estate agent, in a Parisian suburb in 1999. He was accused of pinning the woman to the floor of an apartment where she was due to be giving a viewing. The victim fought back until the assailant eventually fled. Pelicot has since retracted his confession in part. In 2004, a software system found a link between the rape and murder of Ms Narme and the attempted rape of the other woman, in terms of the attacker being alone, the victims being estate agents, and a product used by the attacker – ether – in both attacks, Paris Match reported. But attempts to link the cases using DNA had no result. Nearly two decades later, in 2022, after an investigating judge asked her team to re-explore the attempted rape case from 1999, a bombshell discovery was made. DNA extracted from a drop of blood from the woman's attacker, which was taken from the heel of one of her shoes, matched that of Dominique Pelicot.
LeMonde
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- LeMonde
Avignon staging of Pelicot trial brings theater of the real to a new height
Four hours of breathless intensity. Rarely have we witnessed such focus, such unity between actors and audience, such a sense of urgency in a theater. Bringing the landmark Pelicot rape trial to the stage requires meeting the gravity of a historic legal moment. That was certainly the case on Friday, July 18, in Avignon, during this one-off performance presented by Swiss director Milo Rau. His show, Le Procès Pelicot ("The Pelicot Trial"), will remain in the annals as a model for what theater of the real can be. How could four months of courtroom proceedings that deeply shook French society and reverberated far beyond its borders be condensed into four hours on stage? How could all traces of spectacle or sensationalism be avoided? Rau and his dramaturge, Servane Dècle, answered these questions with unwavering rigor and absolute faith in the power of theater, an art form intrinsically tied to justice since its Greek origins. Just a stone's throw from the Avignon courthouse where the trial was held, the Cloître des Carmes, a major venue of the festival, served as the perfect setting to replay the trial's pivotal moments and to reflect on the unfathomable events that unfolded over more than a decade in a quiet village in southern France. No set was needed; everything unfolded through spoken word. On a bare stage, two rows of wooden benches positioned at stage left and right, as in a courtroom, held the actors dressed in dark colors. At center stage, a small table behind which two actresses stood, serving as both narrators and as the presiding judge and vice president of the court.
News18
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Gisele Pelicot, Whose Husband Subjected Her To Mass Rapes, Receives France's Top Civic Honour
Pelicot, 72, earned international tributes for her courage in testifying at a trial in 2024 against her former husband, who drugged her and arranged for her to be raped by dozens of men over a decade. After that, she was named on lists of the world's most influential people by international media, and the case helped force a change in France's rape law. Pelicot, however, has maintained silence since the trial, with her lawyer stating that she's focused on writing a book to share her perspective on the mass rape case, set for release in 2026. Williams, 52, made his name as a rapper and singer but earned a second fortune as a music producer and after designing clothes and accessories for several brands. He has been Louis Vuitton's men's creative director since 2023. Luxury fashion designer made a splash at his recent Paris show, drawing A-list attendees like Jay-Z and Beyoncé, acclaimed directors Steve McQueen and Spike Lee, and sports icons. Actor Lea Drucker, veteran singer Sylvie Vartan, writer Marc Levy and Auschwitz deportee Yvette Levy, 99, were also among the figures awarded the Legion of Honour along with a host of former ministers, academics and top legal names.
Express Tribune
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Gisele Pelicot gets French honour
Gisele Pelicot, who became a feminist icon by publicly testifying over the mass rapes she endured, and rapper-turned-fashion designer Pharrell Williams were among 589 people awarded France's top civic honour on July 13, reported AFP. The announcement was made in France's official journal ahead of the country's national Bastille Day celebrations. Both Pelicot and Williams were both named knights of the Legion of Honour on a list announced ahead of France's July 14 national day. Pelicot, 72, earned international tributes for her courage in testifying at a French trial in 2024 against her former husband, who drugged her and arranged for her to be raped by dozens of men over a decade. Her testimony raised awareness around rape and gender-based violence, and ultimately changed rape laws in France. She has been named on lists of the world's most influential people by international media. However, Pelicot has remained silent since the trial. Her lawyer says she is concentrating on writing a book giving her side of the mass rape story, which is to be released in 2026. Meanwhile, American musician Williams, 52, made his name as a rapper and singer but earned a second fortune as a music producer and after designing clothes and accessories for several brands. He has been the Louis Vuitton men's creative director since 2023. Since joining Vuitton, Williams has relocated to Paris with his wife and four children. Williams' recent Paris show attracted a host of international celebrities, including singers Jay Z and Beyonce, film directors Steve McQueen and Spike Lee, and football and basketball stars. Actor Lea Drucker, veteran singer Sylvie Vartan, writer Marc Levy and Auschwitz deportee Yvette Levy, 99, were also among the figures awarded the Legion of Honour along with a host of former ministers, academics and top legal names.
Muscat Daily
14-07-2025
- Muscat Daily
Gisele Pelicot awarded France's highest civilian honour
Paris, France – Gisele Pelicot, the French woman whose courage in publicly testifying about the decade-long sexual abuse she endured made her a symbol of women's rights in France, has received the country's highest civilian honour. Pelicot was named a knight of the Legion of Honor in a list published on Sunday, ahead of France's Bastille Day celebrations. She joins 588 others on this year's list. Case that shocked France Pelicot gained international recognition after she testified against her ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, who had drugged and raped her and invited strangers to assault her for more than a decade. Dominique Pelicot was convicted last year of aggravated rape and sentenced to 20 years in prison. In a landmark ruling, a court in Avignon sentenced his 50 co-defendants to prison terms ranging from three to 15 years. Encouraging survivors of sexual assault The case shocked France and reignited a national debate over sexual violence and legal protections for victims. Pelicot, who insisted the trial be held publicly, has been praised for helping push for reforms in France's rape laws. Following the trial, the French Senate passed a bill that includes a lack of consent in the country's criminal definition of rape. In her closing statement at the trial of the 51 men accused of raping her, Pelicot said: 'It's time that the macho, patriarchal society that trivialises rape changes… It's time we changed the way we look at rape.' DW
