Lydia Gouardo was nine years old when the abuse began. She lived in Coulommes, Seine-et-Marne; Raymond Gouardo raised her as his daughter, although he was her stepbrother.
From 1971 to 1999, she remained locked up, subjected to violence and deprivation; she had six children by him. There were neighbors, a school she stopped attending, and social services that came and went without freeing her. Lucienne Ulpat, her stepmother, also lived there. Lydia got out at 37, after Raymond’s death, so he never faced a trial.
She then reported Ulpat. Lucienne Ulpat was convicted of failing to report a crime and of sexually assaulting one of Lydia’s children. She told her story in books and on television, insisting that those around her knew about it.
