For more than three months, France has had its eyes fixed on the Vaucluse criminal court, in Avignon, to follow the extraordinary case of the Mazan rapes. For the last time in this trial, Dominique Pelicot and his 50 co-defendants (one of whom is on the run) entered the court on Thursday, December 19, to hear the verdict. All the accused were found guilty. They were condemned to sentences ranging from three years’ imprisonment (two of which were suspended) to twenty years’ criminal imprisonment. The sentences are all well below the public prosecutor’s requisitions, except that concerning the main accused.
The ax has fallen first for Dominique Pelicot, prosecuted for having drugged, raped and had his wife, Gisèle Pelicot, raped by at least 50 men. He stood up to hear his verdict, having previously remained seated for health reasons. He was sentenced to the maximum penalty of twenty years of criminal imprisonment, in accordance with the prosecution’s requisitions. This prison sentence is associated with a prison sentence. “two thirds”specified the president of the Vaucluse criminal court, Roger Arata. At the end of his sentence, his situation “will be subject to re-examination to assess its safety”. He will be registered in automated judicial file of perpetrators of sexual or violent offenses (FIJAIS). When the verdict was pronounced, he sagged, seemed to suffer the blow, but did not collapse.
Jean-Pierre M., 63 years old, was not prosecuted for rape of Gisèle Pelicot, but of his own sleeping wife, on several occasions, with the participation of Dominique Pelicot: he was convicted to 12 years of imprisonment.
The four accused who came six times to the home of the Pelicot couple were heavily punished. Romain V., 63 years old, for whom the prosecution had requested eighteen years in prison due to “his trivializing speech, without seeking the reasons for his behavior”was sentenced to 15 years of criminal imprisonment including six years of treatment injunction. Dominique D., a 45-year-old truck driver, was sentenced to 13 years in prison, including five years of treatment injunction. Charly A., who went to Mazan for the first time in January 2016, when he was only 21 years old, was also sentenced to 13 years of criminal imprisonment (with a security period of half of the sentence) for “aggravated rape” (committed in a meeting and with administration of a chemical substance). The court ruled out the alteration of discernment concerning him. As for Jérôme V., also prosecuted for having visited the Pelicot home six times, between March and June 2020, in full confinement, he was sentenced to 13 years in prison, including six of socio-judicial monitoring.
Fabien S., who has one of the longest criminal records, with 18 convictions, received a sentence of 11 years in prison accompanied by five years of socio-judicial monitoring with a treatment order. Cédric G., whom his ex-partners portrayed as a particularly dangerous and perverse man, is sentenced to 12 years of criminal imprisonment with five years of socio-judicial supervision and a treatment order. He was found guilty of gang rape and possession of child pornography.
Mohamed R., 70 years old, is the only accused who did not appear for events that took place in Mazan, but in the second home of Caroline Darian, the daughter of the ex-spouses Pélicot. He was also convicted of the rape of one of his daughters in 1999. The accused was sentenced to eight years of criminal imprisonment and remained in detention. His name will be registered in Fijais.
Hassan O., 30 years old, the only accused on the run and under arrest warrant since April 22, 2022, was tried in absentia and sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Joan K., 27 years old, the youngest of the accused, said during her first hearings to have “was welcomed by Gisèle Pelicot awakened”. This former soldier, who went to Mazan twice, in 2019 and 2020, was sentenced to 10 years of criminal imprisonment. A sentence similar to those of Vincent C., 43, also prosecuted for two series of acts. In the same situation, Cendric V. receives nine years in prison and remains in detention. His name will be registered in Fijais. Abdelali D., 47 years old and Jean-Luc L., 46 years old are in the same case, but are among the few to have admitted to having known from the start that the victim would be unconscious when they arrived. They were respectively sentenced to eight years in prison with a deferred committal warrant for the first and ten years in prison for the second. Grégory S., 31, who assured the court that he was “a deceived instrument”car according to him there was no “not rape”was sentenced to eight years of criminal imprisonment.
Nicolas F., 43, who appeared free, was sentenced to eight years in prison with a committal warrant for “possession of images of a child pornography” and “aggravated rape”. His name will be registered in Fijais. Thierry P., 61 years old, Karim S., 40 years old, are convicted for the same reasons. The first receives eight years in prison with a committal warrant and five years of socio-judicial supervision. The second is sentenced to ten years in prison with a committal warrant, including a five-year care order and a definitive ban on practicing a profession in contact with minors. He is the only one of the accused who cried during the verdict. Christian L., 56, was found guilty of “aggravated rape” but was acquitted of possession of child pornography images. He was sentenced to nine years of socio-judicial supervision, five years of treatment injunction and his name will be registered in Fijais. He remains in detention.
Cyprien C., Adrien L., Nizar H. and Florian R. were sentenced to six years in prison with a warrant of committal (for Adrien L.) in view, it seems, of their criminal record. Florian R receives seven years in prison with warrant of committal. Florian R., 32 years old, and Cyprien C., 44 years old, both have nine entries in their respective records. Nizar H., 41 years old, has already been convicted of domestic violence against the mother of his son in 2015 and his ex-partner in 2018. Finally, Adrien L., 34 years old, has already been sentenced for acts of violence and rape against former girlfriends.
Twelve years of imprisonment were required for Lionel R., Ahmed T., Mahdi D., Jean T., Omar D., Thierry P., Cyril B., Boris M., Redouan E., Husamettin D ., Patrice N., Redouane A and Cyrille D. All were prosecuted for having once gone to Mazan. The magistrates at the headquarters decided to follow the requisitions for only one of them: Thierry P was sentenced to twelve years in prison, a sentence accompanied by five years of socio-judicial monitoring. He is now prohibited from practicing a profession linked to minors. On the other hand, Omar D., Cyrille D, Boris M., Mahdi D., Jean T, Lionel R, Ahmed T., Patrice N and Redouan E. were sentenced to eight years in prison with a committal warrant (registered in Fijais). Cyril B receives nine years in prison with a committal warrant, just like Husamettin D., whose committal warrant is deferred due to his state of health.
Redouane A, who was diagnosed as schizophrenic by an expert, was found guilty of aggravated rape, but benefited from a reduced sentence, because the impairment of discernment was retained. He was sentenced to nine years in prison and five years of socio-judicial supervision.
Andy R., a 31-year-old farm worker, was sentenced to six years of criminal imprisonment with a committal warrant. He went to the Pelicot home on December 31, 2018. As for Quentin H., 34 years old, a former police officer and prison guard at the time of the events, he was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment with a committal warrant (11 years had been required for the two men).
Then came the eleven men against whom the prosecution had requested ten years of criminal imprisonment and who all appeared free. Among them is Hugues M., 39 years old, prosecuted for “attempted rape” because he had not imposed penetration on Gisèle Pelicot, not having had an erection the night of the events. He was sentenced to five years in prison and walked free.
Saifeddine G., 37, was also prosecuted for the same reasons. But the court reclassified the rapes and attempted rapes as sexual assaults. He was sentenced to three years in prison, two of which were suspended and released. His name is inscribed on the Fijais. Jacques C., 73, did not dispute the intentionality of the sexual assault. He was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to five years in prison without a warrant. His name will be registered in Fijais. The retiree comes out free. Patrick A., 60 years old, who declares himself homosexual, claimed to have come to have a sexual relationship with Dominique Pelicot, just like Didier S., 68 years old. The first received six years in prison with a committal warrant (deferred due to his state of health), the second five years in prison, suspended for two years. Didier S. will be registered at Fijais and will come out free. Mathieu D., 53, appeared on videos which showed digital and penile penetration of the victim, despite the accused’s statements.
The list also includes Ludovick B., 39, who claimed to have understood retrospectively that he had committed rape. Paul G., 31, who wants to become a pastor, admitted to the facts of rape at the bar. He gets eight years in prison with warrant of committal. His name will be registered in Fijais. Philippe L., 62, is one of the few accused to have worn a condom. Simone M., 43, said she acted “on the instructions of Mr. Pelicot”. The oldest of the accused (he is 74 years old), Jean-Marc L. appeared for “touching, digital penetration of the vagina and attempts at penile penetration of the vagina and mouth of the unconscious victim”. He was sentenced to six years in prison with a warrant of committal.
Among them, Mathieu D was sentenced to seven years of criminal imprisonment with a committal warrant. His name will be registered in Fijais. This means that they were taken to prison as soon as they left the courtroom. Philippe L was sentenced to five years in prison and Nizar H to ten years.
Finally, Joseph C., 69 years old, was the only one prosecuted for sexual assault in a meeting, since no act of penetration was observed in the videos in which he appeared. He was sentenced to three years in prison, the lowest sentence handed down during this trial. He comes out free.
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