Ex-husband Dominique jailed for 20 years

The ex-husband of French rape survivor Gisèle Pelicot was jailed for 20 years after drugging and raping her, and inviting dozens of strangers to also abuse her for nearly a decade.

Dominique Pelicot, 72, was found guilty of all charges by a judge in Avignon, southern France, and wept in court as he was given the maximum sentence.

He was on trial with 50 other men, all of whom were convicted of at least one count, although their prison sentences were less than those requested by prosecutors.

Ms. Pelicot and her children appeared impassive as the verdicts were read, sometimes glancing at the defendants and leaning their heads against the wall.

These convictions put an end to the largest rape trial ever organized in France, which, in three months, shocked the country and the world.

On Thursday morning, police closed the road in front of the courthouse to accommodate hundreds of people who came to show their support for Ms. Pelicot.

A large banner reading “Thank you Gisèle” was displayed on a wall facing the entrance.

Below, several members of the public chanted “rapist, we see you” as the defendants gradually arrived before the trial.

Speaking outside court after the verdicts, Ms Pelicot said the trial had been a “very difficult ordeal”.

Her grandson, who is in his late teens, stood next to her for the first time, his arm on her shoulder as she spoke to the media.

Her voice faltered only once, saying she “never regretted” her decision to make the trial public “so society could see what was happening.”

The 72-year-old woman's decision to waive her automatic right to anonymity was highly unusual.

She attended the trial almost every day, appearing in the same courtroom as her husband of 50 years, from whom she is now divorced.

French and international media followed the case with growing interest and hundreds of journalists were present in court on Thursday.

As Ms. Pelicot spoke, hundreds of people chanted her name and sang feminist songs.

She sent her “deep thanks” to her supporters and said she was “confident” in the existence of a “better future” where men and women can live with “mutual respect”.

Ms Pelicot's ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot – who had previously confessed to his crimes – was found guilty of aggravated rape.

He was also found guilty of attempted aggravated rape of the wife of one of his co-defendants, Jean-Pierre Maréchal.

Maréchal – who was described as Dominique’s “disciple” because he drugged and raped his own wife for years and invited Dominique to do the same – was jailed for 12 years.

Dominique Pelicot was also found guilty of taking indecent images of his daughter, Caroline Darian, and his stepdaughters, Aurore and Céline.

Caroline – who was in court on Thursday – previously told the trial she felt like the “forgotten victim” because, unlike her mother's case, there was no record of the abuse she said was inflicted on her .

Dominique denied drugging and abusing her daughter.

“I will never come see you and you will die alone like a dog,” she shouted at him in court in November.

After the verdict was delivered, Dominique Pelicot's lawyer said his client was “somewhat stunned” by his conviction and would consider appealing. He has 10 days to decide whether he will do so.

Dominique Pelicot was accused alongside 50 other men, 46 of whom were convicted of rape, two of attempted rape and two of sexual assault.

Several of them have already spent years in prison since they were arrested during the first police investigation in 2021 and will therefore be released relatively soon.

Most of the men on trial denied committing rape.

They argued that they did not realize that Ms. Pelicot was unconscious and therefore did not “know” that they were raping her. It's an argument that sparked a national debate over the legal definition of rape in France.

The defendants' prison sentences range from three to 15 years.

In a statement to the AFP news agency, the Pelicot children said they were “disappointed” by the “weak sentences”.

For nearly a decade, starting in 2011, Dominique Pelicot drugged and raped his now ex-wife, and recruited dozens of men online to have sex with her while she was unconscious.

His crimes came to light in 2020, when police arrested him on another charge: filming women's skirts in a supermarket.

Police seized his devices and found thousands of videos on his laptop, with evidence of around 200 rapes.

Investigators used the videos to track down his co-defendants, but were unable to identify 21 other men.

Dominique Pelicot admitted the accusations in 2020.

The trial sparked a discussion about whether the question of consent should be added to the legal definition of rape in France, as has been the case in other European countries.

In France, rape is currently defined as “any act of sexual penetration committed against another by violence, coercion, threat or surprise,” meaning prosecutors must prove intent to rape.

Many of the defendants argued they did not realize Ms Pelicot had not consented, claiming they had been “tricked” by Dominique Pelicot and thought they were going to the couple's home for a sex hookup. three involving the fantasy that the woman would be asleep.

The trial also highlighted the issue of chemical submission, or drug-induced sexual assault.

Most of the 50 men came from towns and villages within a 50 kilometer radius of the Pélicots' home village of Mazan.

They composed of firefighters, truck drivers, military personnel, a journalist and a DJand were described by defense attorneys as “ordinary people,” earning them the nickname Mr. Everyman.

The trial also put sexual violence against women in the spotlight in France, with many praising Ms Pelicot for her courage in opening the case to the public.

She previously said she was determined to “shift the shame” from the victim to the rapist. It’s a phrase that has been echoed by his supporters.

But Ms Pelicot has made it clear that behind her facade of strength “lies a field of ruins” and despite widespread praise for what she has done, she is a reluctant hero.

“She keeps repeating: 'I'm normal', she doesn't want to be considered an icon,” her lawyer Stéphane Babonneau told the BBC.

“Women usually have a strength within them that they can't even imagine and that they have to trust in. That's her message.”

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