Daughter of Convicted Rapist Calls for Father to Die in Prison

Caroline Darian, the daughter of Dominique Pelicot, a Frenchman convicted of drugging and raping his ex-wife while inviting dozens of men to do the same, has called for her father to “die in prison.” In her first television interview since Pelicot was sentenced to 20 years last month, Darian described her father as a “dangerous man” and a “sexual pervert.”

Pelicot, 72, was convicted in December 2024 after a trial that shocked France. Over the course of a decade, he drugged his then-wife, Gisèle Pelicot, with tranquilizers and sleeping pills, enabling himself and at least 50 other men to rape her. The crimes came to light after Pelicot was caught upskirting in a supermarket, prompting a search of his property. Authorities discovered thousands of videos and photos of an unconscious Gisèle being assaulted by strangers.

“He should die in prison. He is a dangerous man,” Darian told the BBC in an interview set to air Monday. “He was always a sexual pervert.”

Darian, 46, revealed that she too believes she was drugged and abused by her father, though no evidence has been found to support her claims. During the trial, Pelicot denied abusing his daughter but was found guilty of using her properties to facilitate the assaults on Gisèle. Darian described the moment she learned of her father’s crimes as “an earthquake” and “a tsunami.”

Gisèle Pelicot, who waived her anonymity during the trial, has become a feminist icon in France for her courage in speaking out. Darian, however, said she struggles with the dual identity of being the daughter of both a victim and a perpetrator. “I’ve got a part of his DNA,” she told The Guardian. “It’s difficult to be the daughter of the biggest sexual criminal for the past 10, 20, even 30 years, and at the same time be the daughter of an icon like my mum.”

Darian has since founded a movement called Don’t Put Me Under (#MendorsPas) to raise awareness about chemical submission, or drug-facilitated assault. Her book, I’ll Never Call Him Dad Again, published in 2022 and recently released in English, details her journey of grappling with her father’s crimes.

Pelicot, who is not eligible for parole for several years, has denied all allegations of abuse. Darian, however, remains resolute. “He perfectly knew what he did,” she said. “He’s not sick. He did everything consciously.”