Detectives will be reopening unresolved cases in a new inquiry into the ‘Monster of Avignon’, as revealed recently. Dominique Pelicot, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2024 for aggravated rape, is now the subject of a broader investigation by a cold case unit to explore additional crimes spanning several decades. Authorities in the Nanterre prosecutors’ office near Paris announced that the probe aims to uncover potential additional victims.
The trial of Pelicot sent shockwaves throughout France and garnered international attention when it was disclosed that he drugged his wife, Gisele, and orchestrated the rape of her by numerous strangers while she was unconscious. Gisele Pelicot, who chose to reveal her identity to raise awareness, has become a prominent advocate for female survivors of sexual abuse in the country, emphasizing a shared struggle among victims.
The offenses against Gisele occurred between 2011 and 2020 at their residence in the southeastern town of Mazan, implicating 72 different men, some of whom were familiar to her. Out of the 51 men prosecuted, nearly all were convicted of various sexual crimes against Gisèle.
Currently, Dominique Pelicot is under investigation for two additional incidents – the rape and murder of Sophie Narme, a real estate agent in Paris in 1991, and an attempted rape in Villeparisis suburb in 1999. He has been a subject of formal inquiry for these crimes since October 2022, indicating substantial evidence against him.
Although Pelicot admitted partial involvement in the latter case after his DNA was found at the crime scene, he denies any connection to the 1991 rape and murder. Investigators noted significant parallels in the modus operandi of both attacks.
Florence Rault, the lawyer representing Narme’s family and the attempted rape victim, highlighted shared patterns between the 1991 and 1999 cases, suggesting a potential link to the same perpetrator. Pelicot’s attorney, Beatrice Zavarro, stated that Pelicot, now 73, refuted ever meeting Sophie Narme and claimed that his actions in the 1999 incident were not intended as a rape attempt.
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