The Avignon Monster: A Man Drugged His Wife for 10 Years and Invited Strangers to Assault Her

The trial of one of France's most notorious cases commenced in September 2024. The primary victim immediately declared that her life was shattered but vowed to do everything possible to see her husband imprisoned. The case of Giselle Pelico has sparked worldwide discussion, and she was honored as one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2025.

From the outside, the Pelicos appeared to be typical French retirees. Married for 50 years, with three children and seven grandchildren, they had careers, earned their living like everyone else, faced crises, even divorced once, but eventually remarried. They sold their Paris apartment and settled into retirement in Mazan, Avignon. Add to this picture their own house with a garden and Friday dinners with relatives — a seemingly ordinary life for Mr. and Mrs. Pelico.

However, behind this facade of provincial bourgeois stability lurked perversions, drugs, and the silence of numerous assailants. The court identified approximately 80 perpetrators. The victim was always the same — Giselle Pelico, who was assaulted by strangers over many years without her knowledge — until the summer of 2020.

On June 10, 2020, 68-year-old Giselle woke up, looked in the mirror, and was horrified: her bangs and part of her hair were cut, but she had no memory of getting a haircut. She called her hairdresser, who confirmed they had styled her hair the previous day. How could she have forgotten such an event?

Suspecting age-related dementia, Giselle visited a neurologist and simultaneously made an appointment with a gynecologist due to persistent lower abdominal pain. The neurologist’s MRI found no abnormalities, but the gynecologist diagnosed several infections requiring urgent treatment.

A month later, the police called: "Madam, could you come in? We need to show you some videos."

Earlier, her husband Dominique had been caught by a supermarket security guard peeking under female customers' skirts with his phone. Since this was his second offense — the first occurred ten years prior — the police decided to check his phone. Their suspicions were confirmed: they found messages where Dominique described how he "drugged his wife" and invited others to join. Thousands of photos and videos of his unconscious wife being assaulted by strangers were stored on his computer in a folder labeled "Violence."

"The officer asked about my sex life. I said I never changed partners or tried threesomes; I was faithful. The thought of anyone else's touch, besides my husband's, was unbearable. An hour later, the officer showed me a photo from that folder. I didn’t recognize the man or woman in it. He then asked if the bed and nightstand in the photo were mine. He showed me more pictures; I begged him to stop. It was unbearable. I was immobilized in my bed, being assaulted by a man. My world collapsed," Giselle testified in court.

After leaving the police station, she called her daughter and revealed that her father had allowed men to abuse her for ten years. Caroline screamed in horror and later suffered a nervous breakdown. Her sons did not believe her, thinking she was joking. Giselle returned home but stayed only five days. The scandal was known by neighbors, postal workers, and shopkeepers who sympathized and tried to help, but it only worsened. She packed her bags and moved in with her son.

"Never in my life had I felt so humiliated and degraded," she later said.

Meanwhile, the police investigation uncovered that Giselle’s memory problems were caused by Dominique regularly drugging her with a mixture of narcotics, sleeping pills, and tranquilizers. He then posted on a local forum inviting others to come and assault his wife, setting strict rules: no loud talking, no perfume, no smoking, and no strong-smelling alcohol — anything that might wake the helpless victim.

"When they came to our house, everyone was aware of the situation. No one was manipulated, I didn’t force anyone or hold a gun to their head," Dominique tried to justify in court.

One stranger, who visited the retirees' home six times, was HIV-positive but concealed his status and did not use protection. Giselle tested negative for HIV but was diagnosed with other infections.

Dominique not only allowed strangers to abuse his wife but permitted unprotected acts. "It was very foolish," he admitted in court. Police also found a photo of their naked sleeping daughter Caroline on his computer, but Dominique denied ever abusing her.

"I never touched my daughter. She's far younger than the women I’m used to," he claimed. However, the photo of his daughter tipped the scales toward maximum public exposure of the case.

Initially, the victim wanted to remain anonymous, but now she was ready to confront her husband openly in court. She filed for divorce and refers to the man she lived with for 50 years simply as Mr. Pelico.

The four-year investigation identified 50 of the 84 assailants who entered the Mazan home. All were questioned; some confessed, others claimed Pelico framed them. They said they believed sex with Giselle was consensual roleplay, thinking she enjoyed pretending to be unconscious.

Many accused had no prior convictions and had families. Their names are confidential but include a firefighter, journalist, prison guard, truck driver, nurse, and IT specialist. Giselle recognized only one man — a neighbor who once visited to chat about cycling and whom she later saw at the local bakery.

Evidence showed Giselle was assaulted by 72 strangers in about 90 violent acts. Dominique himself abused her around 200 times. A total of 51 suspects aged 26 to 74 stood trial; 48 face charges of aggravated rape. Most face up to 20 years in prison — the maximum sentence for such crimes in France.

Moreover, one perpetrator replicated the crime with his own wife, using Pelico’s methods — mixing sleeping pills with drugs, intoxicating her, and inviting chat members to exploit her helplessness. Investigators confirmed 12 assaults on that victim.

"I was sacrificed on the altar of depravity. They treated me like a rag doll, like a garbage bag," Giselle says tearfully. Though time passes, she still feels lost.

"People see me as strong, but inside I’m a wreck. The facade is sturdy, but inside everything is broken," she confides. Early in the investigation, she even contemplated suicide, overwhelmed by emotional pain, but her children’s support helped her overcome the darkness.

A year ago, prosecutors said Pelico faced 20 years in prison, but new charges were added. Police suspect him in the 1991 rape and murder of 23-year-old real estate agent Sophie Narme in Paris and an attempted rape in 1999. DNA from the victim’s shoe matched Pelico’s DNA. He denies the murder charges, claiming the police are trying to pin unsolved crimes on him without evidence. He admits guilt for what happened to his wife.

"Giselle did not deserve this. I realize that. I regret what I did and apologize, even though it’s unforgivable," Dominique stated in court on September 17, 2024. However, according to his wife’s lawyer, forgiveness is unlikely.

"If other women wake up not remembering what happened to them, they can recall the Pelico trial. No woman should suffer while drugged and feeling helpless. We must address this issue," Giselle declared after the first hearing. She is determined to see justice through.

On April 16, 2025, Giselle Pelico was named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People of 2025.

Photos: Legion-Media.ru, East News

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