At least 8 victims of Gisele Pelicot-style sexual abuse identified in UK in international probe into abuse forums

At least eight new victims of Gisele Pelicot-style sexual abuse have been identified in the UK as part of a major international investigation into online harassment forums.

Some women were attacked in their own homes without their knowledge over many years, the National Crime Agency said, as part of a major investigation into organized drug-facilitated sexual assault (ODFSA).

The eight victims were identified after German investigative journalists tipped off police about a forum where users shared pictures and videos of abuse, as well as tips on how to deal with victims of drug and sexual assault.

The NCA said in a forum that their investigation of it and its subsidiaries had uncovered a “truly international network” in which such abuses were normalised, but admitted they were yet to understand the “true scale” of the growing phenomenon.

Ms Pelicot’s case shocked the world when she waived anonymity after learning that her husband Dominique had drugged and raped her for years and invited 50 other men to join in the attacks. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison for almost a decade of horrific abuse.

The NCA has so far identified more than 270 people linked to a particular online forum and its successors and sent 210 intelligence packages containing information on potential abusers and victims to individual police forces, many abroad.

A total of 15 of these have been sent to forces in Britain and so far eight suspected victims have been taken into custody and eight people have been arrested.

Separately, Europol identified 156 victims and perpetrators of drug-facilitated sexual assaults in an investigation into misogynistic online communities called Project Medusa. It was not disclosed which countries the suspects and victims came from.

NCA deputy director Nigel Leary said these crimes were “no longer isolated acts” and were increasingly enabled by online networks where abusers identified like-minded individuals.

Many start on main platforms or openly accessible forums where they retreat into smaller groups, often moving to encrypted platforms.

“These environments allow criminals to build trust, normalize behavior, exchange tactics and facilitate crime,” he explained.

“More importantly, these spaces create a sense of community and legitimacy where highly harmful behavior is minimized or legitimized across platforms.”

Users discuss in graphic detail how they want to carry out the “most heinous” sexual abuse, adding: “Discussions include inviting other people to participate in sexual assaults, seeking advice on the best drugs or tranquilizers to use and help carry out, asking for specific abuse to be carried out, as well as co-ordinated offending, arranging for victims of rape and abuse, sharing methodologies and developing tactics to avoid detection.”

“In most of the cases we have seen so far, victims of sexual offenses at the time they were sedated have no memory of it.”

Because abusers often exploit a relationship of trust, victims of all ages can be targeted.

“Criminals take advantage of the existence of committed, trustworthy and often long-term relationships to commit and facilitate crime,” Mr. Leary added. “This means that some abused women have been abused for long periods of time in their own homes, in their own bedrooms, and in some cases for many years.”

Unveiling a new national response to deal with the evolving threat, he warned that such crimes were almost certainly “under-detected and under-reported”.

“The extent of what we have seen so far is extremely concerning,” he added. “Intelligence indicates that other groups, many of whom have not yet been identified by law enforcement, have been and still are involved in such crimes. “The truth is that we don’t yet know the true extent of this crime.”

Helen Millichap, director of the National Center on Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection (NCVPP), urged anyone with concerns to come forward.

“If something doesn’t feel right, you don’t need evidence or a clear memory to ask for help,” he added. “Police and support services will ensure you are listened to, taken seriously and given the attention you need.”

Siobhan Blake, national CPS lead for Rape and Serious Sexual Offenses, added: “The abuse we are discussing is some of the most horrific I have seen in my career. “Victims are subjected to horrific sexual assaults in their own homes, in the ultimate breach of trust.

“This crime thrives in secrecy online and behind closed doors. It is the job of the criminal justice system to expose it so it can be delivered to victims and survivors.”