A Triumph Over Darkness: French Woman Who Survived a Decade of Ordeal Awarded Nation’s Highest Honor

Gisèle Pelico, 72, who endured abuse at the hands of her husband and dozens of other men over a decade, has been named a Knight of the Legion of Honor — France’s highest national distinction.

According to a decree published on the eve of Bastille Day, 589 individuals “dedicated to the common good” will be honored at the Élysée Palace on July 14.

Among the recipients are 497 Knights, 68 Officers, 18 Commanders, four Grand Officers, and two Grand Cross holders, as reported by Euronews.

In September 2020, three women in the French town of Mazan filed complaints against Dominique Pelico, alleging he tried to take photos up their skirts in a supermarket. He was promptly arrested.

Gisèle forgave her husband after he assured her it was a one-time mistake. But just six weeks later, Dominique was detained again.

During the ongoing investigation, police seized his phone, computer, and hard drives. On one device, officers discovered a folder labeled “Abuses.”

Inside were thousands of photos and videos showing Gisèle, unconscious in her own bed, being assaulted by dozens of different men.

Gisèle first learned what had happened to her on November 2, 2020, when police showed her the evidence. When summoned to the station, she thought it was just a routine follow-up to the previous incident.

“An officer asked me about my sex life. I told him I had never been with anyone but my husband, never tried a threesome. I was loyal,” Gisèle later testified in court.

“An hour later, the officer said he had something to show me, and he opened a photo from that folder.

It was unbearable. I was immobilized, in my own bed, and a man was raping me. My world collapsed.”

Investigators found that for nearly ten years, from 2011 to 2020, Dominique Pelico invited strangers into their home to rape his wife. He drugged Gisèle’s dinner with a powerful tranquilizer, causing her to sleep so deeply that she had no idea what was happening.

Dominique instructed the men not to speak loudly, wear perfume, or smoke, so as not to wake Gisèle.

Shockingly, he also told some not to use condoms; one of the assailants was HIV-positive. While Gisèle ultimately tested negative for HIV, she did contract other sexually transmitted infections.

“It’s hard for me to listen to Mr. Pelico,” Gisèle told the court. “For fifty years, not for a single second did I suspect he was capable of rape. I completely trusted this man.”

Gisèle and Dominique met in 1971 and married two years later. They had three children and now have seven grandchildren. By the time the trial began, Gisèle had officially divorced her husband.

Today, Gisèle, now 72, says she remembers nothing of the assaults.

Dominique Pelico, also 72, was sentenced to the maximum 20 years in prison.