Paris:
Dominique Pelicot, the former husband of France’s mass rape case victim Gisele Pelicot, was found guilty by a court on Thursday of repeatedly drugging and raping her for almost a decade. The court also found him guilty of inviting dozens of strangers to rape Ms Gisele’s unconscious body in their home.
A panel of judges sentenced Dominique Pelicot to 20 years in jail. The mass rape case has appalled the world and turned Gisele Pelicot into a symbol of courage and resilience.
Delivering the sentence, the presiding judge of the criminal court in Avignon, Roger Arata, said Dominique Pelicot will not be eligible for parole until he has served two-thirds of his sentence.
The court also convicted all other 50 defendants – aged 27 to 74 – in the French mass rape trial, with no acquittals. They were sentenced to between 3 and 20 years, according to a report by AFP.
Prosecutors had sought jail terms between four and 18 years for the other defendants, almost all of whom are accused of raping the comatose Gisele Pelicot.
Seventy-two-year-old Dominique Pelicot had pleaded guilty to the charges during the three-month trial and apologised to his family.
But most of the 50 defendants, whom Mr Dominique had met online, denied rape, saying they thought they were taking part in a consensual sex game orchestrated by the couple and arguing that it wasn’t rape if the husband approved.
Gisele Pelicot’s Mass Rape Case
Gisele Pelicot’s mass rape trial has shocked France and its implications were felt far beyond the Avignon courthouse where judges heard and saw more than three months of evidence.
Ms Gisele, 72, waived her right to anonymity during the trial and demanded that horrifying videos of the serial abuse, which were recorded by her former husband, should be seen in court, saying she hoped this would help other women speak up.
“I’ve decided not to be ashamed, I’ve done nothing wrong,” she testified in October. “They are the ones who must be ashamed,” she said, scoffing at any claim that she might have been a willing participant.
The trial has triggered protest rallies around France in support of Ms Gisele and spurred soul searching, including a debate on whether to update France’s rape law, which at present makes no mention that sex should involve consent.
