French justice authority finds failings in earlier Dominique Pelicot case
A banner which reads " Thank you Gisèle" hangs on the city wall in front of the courthouse in Avignon, France, December 19, 2024. ALEXANDRE DIMOU / REUTERS France's General Inspectorate of Justice (IGJ) has exposed failings in an investigation into Dominique Pelicot, convicted in a high-profile rape case, for not acting on DNA evidence against him for a dozen years, in a report seen by Agence France-Presse. Pelicot was sentenced to 20 years in prison in December 2024 in a case that shocked the country, after admitting to repeatedly drugging his then-wife Gisèle Pelicot and inviting dozens of men to rape her while she was unconscious between 2011 and 2020. During the trial, it emerged that he had been first apprehended in 2010 in a suburban Paris shopping centre while filming up women's skirts, and had his DNA taken by police. A few months later, he was connected with an attempted rape in the Seine-et-Marne area east of the capital on May 11, 1999. Yet the DNA match was not acted upon by the justice system for more than 12 years. In October 2022, he was finally placed under formal investigation by a cold case unit in Nanterre, west of Paris, for the 1999 incident as well as a 1991 rape and murder of a woman in Paris. Last year, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin called on the IGJ to look into why the investigation did not happen sooner. The IGJ report seen by AFP this week found that the court investigating the 1999 rape had no receipt of receiving the evidence, which was sent by regular mail. Furthermore, the court at the time was undergoing a structural re-organisation and "loss of documents was sometimes observed," the report said. The IGJ report highlighted "vulnerabilities" and general malfunctions in the handling of genetic profiles, prompting a list of recommendations to secure the receipt of reports issued by France's National Automated DNA Database (FNAEG). Contacted by AFP, Dominique Pelicot's lawyer, Béatrice Zavarro, said "the work of justice had been undermined." She also acknowledged that the rape case involving his ex-wife "could have been avoided" had police intervened earlier. "If we take it at face value, yes, this case could obviously have been avoided," she said. Partner service Learn French with Gymglish Thanks to a daily lesson, an original story and a personalized correction, in 15 minutes per day. Try for free Help us improve Le Monde in English Dear reader, We’d love to hear your thoughts on Le Monde in English! Take this quick survey to help us improve it for you. Take the survey Newsletter LE MONDE IN ENGLISH Sign up to receive our daily selection of "Le Monde" articles translated into English. Sign up New Le Monde’s app Get the most out of your experience: download the app to enjoy Le Monde in English anywhere, anytime Download Newsletter M International Sign up to get the best of M le Magazine du Monde twice a month, straight to your inbox. Sign up now Pelicot has admitted to his involvement in the 1999 case after he was identified by his DNA, but has denied involvement in the 1991 rape and murder case. Last week, the Nanterre cold case unit launched a broader investigation into Pelicot's "criminal trajectories" to identify other possible crimes and victims. Le Monde with AFP
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