A Lyon-based bodyguard who apparently decided that protecting high-profile clients wasn't thrilling enough is heading to trial for allegedly sedating and raping his partner after making online chums with Dominique Pelicot, the man who turned drugging and raping his own wife into a decade-long group activity.
Pelicot, who is currently serving 20 years for his role in what can only be described as France's least exclusive rape club, was convicted in 2024 alongside 50 other men after the biggest rape trial in French history. The 73-year-old had been crushing sleeping tablets and anti-anxiety meds into his then-wife Gisèle's food and drink to render her unconscious, then inviting strangers from an online chatroom called "Against her knowledge" to have their way with her.
Gisèle Pelicot, who became an international icon for insisting the trial be public to raise awareness about drug-facilitated sexual assault, famously declared: "It's not for us to have shame, it's for them."
Now, a 73-year-old's apparent protégé is in the hot seat. The defendant worked as an international bodyguard for high-profile clients at film festivals and on globetrotting trips to the US and Gulf states - presumably using his downtime to study under a master of the dark arts. Investigators found communications between him and Pelicot during their initial probe into Pelicot in 2020.
Arrested in 2023, the bodyguard is accused of sedating his long-term partner, raping her, and filming the whole thing. His lawyer, Gabriel Versini-Bullara, insists his client denies the charges and that having contact with Pelicot doesn't make him a "disciple" - though the court will have to decide whether the bodyguard was just exchanging pleasantries or actively seeking advice on chemical incapacitation techniques.
The investigating magistrates' summary, seen by Agence France-Presse, alleges the bodyguard sought to benefit from Pelicot's "experience" in the drugging-and-raping department. They noted that the woman's deep sedation "ruled out all form of consent" - a shockingly scientific conclusion.
The victim told investigators she had experienced "great fatigue" over three years without understanding why, along with heart issues, dizziness, and several blackouts. Because nothing says "I love you" like regularly slipping your partner a mickey.
Separately, the bodyguard has admitted to charges of possessing and distributing child abuse imagery - because apparently his moral compass was already pointing due south.