Dominique Pelicot was sentenced to the maximum sentence, 20 years in prison, for the aggravated rapes against his ex-wife Gisèle Pelicot, in the Mazan rape trial, which ends today in Avignon. The chief judge of the Avignon court, Roger Arata, pronounced the verdicts one after another against Pelicot and 50 other defendants, finding them guilty “of aggravated rape” against Gisèle. The woman sat on one side of the courtroom, facing the defendants, as Arata announced the guilty verdicts one after another.
Dominique Pelicot, 72, pleaded guilty to the charges during the three-month trial and apologized to his family. Many of her fellow defendants, whom she had met online, denied the rape, saying they thought they were taking part in a consensual sex game orchestrated by the couple and arguing that it was not rape if the husband had approved. Pelicot denied misleading the men, who came from all walks of life, saying they knew his ex-wife was unconscious and unaware of what they were doing to her.
Gisèle Pelicot, 72, waived her right to anonymity during the trial and asked for horrific videos of serial abuse, recorded by her ex-husband, to be seen in court, saying she hoped it would help other women speak out .
The trial has triggered protests across France in support of Gisèle and prompted soul-searching, including a debate over whether to update France’s rape law, which currently makes no mention that sex must involve consent.
The rapes took place in the couple’s home in Mazan, a small town in Provence, and other places. Dominique Pelicot testified that he hid sedatives in the food and drinks he offered his wife, rendering her unconscious to the point where she could do whatever she wanted for hours. One of the men was tried not for assaulting Gisèle Pelicot, but for drugging and raping his own wife, with the help and drugs provided by Dominique Pelicot, who was also accused of raping the latter’s wife. Court decisions, including sentences, were made by secret vote of the five judges. Campaigners against sexual violence are hoping for exemplary prison sentences and see the trial as a possible turning point in the fight against rape culture and the use of drugs to subdue victims.
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