On Thursday, the court sentenced Dominique Pelicot, the former husband of France’s mass rape case victim Gisele Pelicot, to 20 years in jail. He was found guilty of inviting dozens of strangers to rape Ms Gisele’s unconscious body in their home.
The sentence against Dominique Pelicot was declared after he was found guilty of all charges against him. At age 72, it could mean that he spends the rest of his life in prison. The presiding judge of the criminal court in Avignon was Roger Arata. 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. 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.
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. 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.
