Gisèle Pelicot's daughter no longer speaks to her after 'heartbreaking private comment made during trial'
Warning: This article contains discussion of sexual assault and rape which some readers may find distressing.
Claiming she made a heartbreaking private comment during her father’s trial, Caroline Darian no longer speaks to her mother, Gisèle Pelicot.
Dominique Pelicot pleaded guilty last December to repeatedly drugging his wife and inviting strangers from the internet to rape and sexually assault her while she was unconscious.
At the end of the historic trial, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with daughter Caroline saying he ‘should die’ in there.
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And as Gisèle’s bravery in waiving her anonymity was admired around the world, it turned out her daughter had also been a victim of Dominique’s horrific crimes.
A call from police revealed there were also photos of her on his laptop, wearing only a T-shirt and underwear in a deleted file called ‘My Daughter Naked’.
Caroline went on to write the book, I’ll Never Call Him Dad Again, exploring her family’s trauma as she tried to grapple with the fact that she was the ‘second victim’.
At the end of the trial, Dominique was only charged with taking indecent images of his daughter as she told the judge: “I’m a forgotten victim in this case.”
There isn't any suggestion that Gisèle knew about any of his horrifying crimes or activities, but Caroline wrote that from the beginning, her mother couldn't believe Dominique would have preyed on his own child as she apparently said: "Your father is incapable of such a thing."
And during the trial, Caroline told The Telegraph her relationship with Gisèle was tested and they now no longer speak.
“My mother let go of my hand in that courtroom,” she claimed. “She abandoned me.”
Caroline said she supported her mum ‘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,” she explained.
Caroline said she can ‘never forgive’ Gisèle for not helping as she claimed that in the courtyard outside the trial, her mum ‘a couple of times’ said: “Stop making a spectacle of yourself.”
Caroline went on to say that is the ‘difference’ between herself and her mother as she added: “What I’m trying to say is that my mother isn’t an icon – not to me.”
She continued: “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.”
Caroline says she respects her mother has started a ‘new life’ but: “What I don’t respect is that she didn’t fulfil her contract with me. You stay a mother until you die, whatever the trials and tribulations – but she didn’t.”
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact the Rape Crisis England and Wales helpline on 0808 500 222, available 24/7. If you are currently in danger or need urgent medical attention, you should call 999.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact The Survivors Trust for free on 08088 010 818, available 10am-12.30pm, 1.30pm-3pm and 6pm-8pm Monday to Thursday, 10am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-3pm on Fridays, 10am-12.30pm on Saturdays and 6pm-8pm on Sundays.
Topics: True Crime, Mental Health, World News, Crime
Jess Battison