'An earthquake. Unthinkable. Unimaginable'.
The words used by Caroline Peyronnet to describe the moment her family was irrevocably split apart four years ago are by no means an exaggeration.
She and her two brothers had enjoyed an idyllic childhood and were blessed with a seemingly stable and happy family life.
Their loving parents,Dominique and Gisele Pelicot,met as a pair of wide-eyed 18-year-olds in 1971 and married just two years later,beginning a passionate and strong relationship that blossomed over forty years.
As the pair approached their 60s,they wanted to trade the town of Villiers-sur-Marne near Paris,where Dominique had worked for French energy company EDF while Gisele built a 20-year career as a company manager,for sunnier climes in the South.
Money hadn't always been easy to come by - the 2008 financial crash ruining Dominique's foray into the world of real estate and attempts at entrepreneurship - but Gisele's stable income meant they'd saved enough to rent a lovely bungalow with a pool and a lush garden.
They settled into a rosy retirement in Mazan,a cozy village nestled in the foothills of Mont Ventoux in the green haven of Vaucluse,and revelled in their role as doting grandparents,hosting the whole family for holidays and enjoying late evening meals out on the terrace in the summer haze.
But it was around then that Caroline and her siblings began to notice their mother's health steadily deteriorate.
Gisele Pelicot's daughter Caroline enters the court room to give evidence against her dad Dominque Pelicot. Pictured: Artist drawing from inside the court of Caroline in the dock
Mr Pelicot and 14 of his co-accused have admitted their part in France's worst rape case.
But another 35 men – from all walks of life – deny that they forced themselves on Madame Pelicot while she was unconscious,claiming that she in some way consented.
Gisele has unequivocally rejected their claims and is outspoken about her desire to see them all brought to justice.
'Some of the defendants admit the facts,others contest all the facts,and others confirm they were present but deny it was rape,' her lawyer said.
'You caught four sexually transmitted diseases and were exposed to HIV six times. What have you got to say to people who claim you consented to all this?'
The brave mother-of-three replied: 'All I have to say is,it's an insult to my intelligence. These individuals were totally aware of what state I was in. I never knowingly took part in any of these things.
'I was a dead woman and these men take advantage of me,they defile me,they treat me like a bin bag.
'How can you even try and make people think that a woman would knowingly take part in all this?'
It remains to be seen whether every defendant in the scarcely believable case will be found guilty,with the trial set to stretch until Christmas.
Mr Pelicot's scrupulous documentation of the abuse,not to mention the trove of vile messages he exchanged with each man who visited the family home,means prosecutors were able to charge 51 people in total.
But even if justice is eventually served,the halcyon memories shared by every member of the Pelicot family will remain forever tainted by their patriarch's inescapable betrayal.
Afterall,as Caroline asks: 'What do you do when your father is one of the worst sexual predators of the last 20 years?'
France
© OfficialAffairs
