On Thursday 19 December the Avignon court found Dominique Pelicot guilty of aggravated rape, for the sexual violence committed against his ex-wife Gisèle Pelicot over ten years: he was accused of having raped her, of having regularly administered to her without her knowledge drug to make her unconscious and of having allowed dozens of strangers to rape her in turn. The sentence to which he will be sentenced will be announced shortly.
In total, 51 men were accused in the trial, for which sentences are expected shortly: in addition to Dominique Pelicot, 49 were accused of raping Gisèle Pelicot. Another man was accused of having raped and had his wife raped several times by Dominique Pelicot, after having put her to sleep with the same method and for this reason he was included in the same trial.
Only 18 of them had pleaded guilty, while the others had admitted the acts, but had contested the charge of rape, claiming that they were not aware that Gisèle Pelicot had not given her consent.
The hearings began on September 2 and in recent months had been closely followed by the national and international press, as well as by French public opinion. Because of Gisèle Pelicot’s decision to have a public trial, and the clarity and determination with which she testified at trial, the case also opened up a broader discussion about “rape culture,” a phrase used to describe a society in which gender violence and abuse are widespread, minimized and normalised.
