Dominique Pelicot was born on November 27, 1952, in Quincy-sous-Senart, about 18 miles south of Paris.
As a teenager he obtained professional qualifications as an electrician and worked on construction sites in French provinces and the Paris region.
According to reports he attempted to run a business as a real estate agent and a telephone salesman but the ventures failed.
When he was 19 he met his future wife Gisele, with a court hearing he felt ‘love at first sight’.
The couple have three children: David, Caroline and Florian.The family lived in the Paris region but moved in the early 90s.
In 2020, the now retired Pelicot was arrested in a shopping centre after he was caught filming under the skirts of customers.
A search of his devices uncovered hundreds of photos and pornographic videos of women, including family members, but while he was in custody Pelicot disclosed details of a hidden hard drive which contained a file called ‘Abuses’.
It classified the nickname and telephone numbers of attackers, together with some 3,800 photos and videos of Gisèle Pélicot being raped, between 2011 and 2020.
Detectives have listed a total of 92 rapes committed by 72 men, 51 of whom have been identified.
In September, Pelicot admitted to all charges against him in his first testimony, telling the court his now ex-wife, ‘did not deserve this.’