Inside The Hidden Network Of Men Drugging And Raping Their Wives
6/3/20261 hr 5 min
In 2024, the world learned the name Gisele Pelicot. Between 2011 and 2020, she was drugged and raped in her home in France by her husband, Dominique, and dozens of other men while she was unconscious.
In a landmark trial, the then-72-year-old Gisele waived her right to anonymity as evidence revealed at least 200 rapes, many of them filmed. Dominique recruited men through a sex chat website, giving detailed instructions on how to abuse his wife.
But this is not an isolated case. In 2026, CNN uncovered allegations of a global network of men in group chats sharing tips on drugging and raping their wives, alongside more than 20,000 “sleep content” videos.
Investigative journalist Saskya Vandoorne joins us after infiltrating these groups and speaking to survivors.
LINKS
Learn more about CNN's investigation here.
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CREDITS
Guest: Saskya Vandoorne
Host: Gemma Bath
Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman
Group Executive Producer: Ilaria Brophy
Video Editor: Julian Rosario
Audio Designer: Tegan Salder
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsGemma Bath· Host0:00
[children laughing] It's a regular Sunday in 2018 in Devon, England, and the Watts family have just returned home from church. Zoe's four children have dispersed to various corners of the house, and she's settling in for a day at home when her husband of 16 years makes a confession. He's been crushing their son's sleeping medicine into her nightly tea and raping her once she passes out. He reels off a shopping list of abuses he has subjected her sleeping body to. Zoe is in shock. Her entire life, her marriage, it all shatters in a single moment. He's been doing it for years, he says. Zoe starts to panic. The reality of what her husband, the man she has trusted, loved, parented alongside, confided in, what he is telling her is too painful to comprehend. I'm Gemma Bath, and you're listening to True Crime Conversations, a podcast exploring the world's most notorious crimes by speaking to the people who know the most about them. In 2024, the world learnt the name Gisèle Pelicot. Between 2011 and 2020, she was drugged and raped by her husband Dominique and 50 other men in the couple's home while