"Gredig direkt" Pelicot's daughter Caroline: "He killed the little girl in me"
On "Gredig direkt", Caroline Darian Pelicot talks about her life as the daughter of Dominque Pelicot. She says of her father: "A large part of his criminal career is still completely unknown."
Image: SRF
Gisèle Pelicot (right) with daughter Caroline Darian speak to the media outside the court in Avignon in September 2024.
Image: Keystone
Caroline Darian has published the book "And I will never call you daddy again".
Image: KEYSTONE
On "Gredig direkt", Caroline Darian Pelicot talks about her life as the daughter of Dominque Pelicot. She says of her father: "A large part of his criminal career is still completely unknown."
Image: SRF
Gisèle Pelicot (right) with daughter Caroline Darian speak to the media outside the court in Avignon in September 2024.
Image: Keystone
Caroline Darian has published the book "And I will never call you daddy again".
Image: KEYSTONE
What is life like as the daughter of a monster? Caroline Darian Pelicot speaks exclusively in the SRF talk show "Gredig direkt" about her childhood in the shadow of horror - and about her courage to free herself from it.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Caroline Darian speaks publicly about her father Dominique Pelicot's crimes and their impact on the family in the SRF talk show "Gredig direkt".
- She describes her perspective as the daughter of the victim and the perpetrator and the resulting inner conflict.
- "Gredig direkt" with Caroline Darian aired on Thursday, March 27 at 10.25 pm on SRF 1.
The case shook France - and the world: Dominique Pelicot was sentenced to 20 years in prison at the end of 2024 for systematic sexual abuse of his wife. All fifty co-defendants were also found guilty.
In the SRF program "Gredig direkt", his daughter Caroline Darian Pelicot now talks in detail on Swiss television about her perspective - as the daughter of the victim and the perpetrator.
For ten years, Dominique Pelicot repeatedly drugged his wife Gisèle in order to rape her himself and make her available to other men. He documented the assaults in thousands of photos and videos.
But the horror does not end after the trial. Caroline Darian is convinced that she herself was also sexually abused by her father. She only recently filed a criminal complaint against him. She is the daughter of a convicted sex offender - and his victim.
For years, the 46-year-old was unaware of the systematic rape of her mother. Her environment seemed normal to her, the relationship between the Pelicots was close: "I thought my family was normal. We didn't suspect anything, we didn't see anything coming, we didn't understand anything. In a split second, you plunge into horror."
What's more, Caroline was Pelicot's favorite child, she says: "We had an almost complicit father-daughter relationship. That's why it's so terrible for me that his dark side remained hidden from me. How could I have formed such a false image of my father?"
TV host Urs Gredig asks with great sensitivity: "Who is your father to you?"
Pelicot answers quickly, remaining composed throughout the conversation: "In reality, he's an enormous manipulator. He has a very pronounced psychopathic structure. He has achieved the feat of lying to and deceiving everyone." Starting with his wife and children. Darian continues: "You couldn't tell he was ill. We lived with a phantom who never showed us his dark side. For me, he is a seriously ill person."
Caroline Darian has also filed a criminal complaint against her father. She is convinced that she herself was a victim.
Pelicot case: putting the incomprehensible into words
In her book "And I will never call you dad again", Caroline Darian gives voice to the unimaginable. The 46-year-old describes how her world collapsed from one moment to the next when the extent of her father's actions came to light.
The case is still not completely closed and the investigation continues, as Dominique Pelicot is accused of murdering a woman.
His daughter believes this is possible: "Anything is possible. A large part of his criminal background is still completely unknown," Caroline Darian is certain.
Caroline Darian: "Forgive? No! I hope I can find a form of indifference"
Her mother, Gisèle Pelicot, has shown courage with her appearance at the trials, demonstrating: "Shame must change sides."
And will Caroline Darian be able to make peace with her father after the publication of her book - through the writing process? Even forgive him?
Darian finds clear words in the interview with Urs Gredig: "Forgive? No! I hope I can find a form of indifference."
Are you or has someone you know been the victim of sexualized violence or cyberbullying?
You can find help here:
- Pro Juventute, advice for children and young people, telephone 147
- Network "Prevention of sexualized violence in the leisure sector"
- Dargebotene Hand, worry hotline, telephone 143
- Information and further links on the topic of cyberbullying
