In 2024, the mass-rape trial of Dominique Pelicot and 50 other French men shocked the world. The father of three was found guilty of drugging and raping his wife, Gisèle, over a 10‑year period, and of inviting other men he met online to rape and abuse her as well. After a 16‑week trial, Pelicot was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
It was a case so shocking that one would be forgiven for assuming this type of sexual abuse is rare. However, a new investigation by CNN journalists Saskya Vandoorne and Niamh Kennedy has found that Pelicot was far from alone in his depravity and that this type of abuse is widespread online.
“The Gisèle Pelicot case is just the tip of the iceberg,” says Vandoorne, who, alongside Kennedy, spent months infiltrating websites and invite-only chat rooms where these kinds of crimes are discussed openly. One particular group on Telegram, which the journalists managed to join, had more than 1,000 members discussing what is known as “sleep content”.
“It’s a dark and disturbing brotherhood. They are encouraging each other. They are swapping tips on how to drug and rape women,” Vandoorne tells podcast presenter Róisín Ingle.
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London-based Irish journalist Kennedy describes how some of the interactions between the men played out in the chat. “Someone would reach out with a query, then another man would reply with the dosage or recommended dosage.”
But, she explains, it’s not just advice that is shared in the group; men are also profiting from the abuse. “There were people making money off this, selling content, selling sedatives, and also even live-streaming this kind of stuff and charging as little as $20 to watch this happen in real time.”
In this eye-opening discussion, Vandoorne and Kennedy also explain how their investigation brought them to Poland, where they came face to face with one of the men from the Telegram group. “It was incredibly chilling to see him,” Vandoorne says.
You can watch the full investigation on YouTube now.
Listen back to this episode in the player above or search The Women’s Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
