Dominique Pelicot jailed for 20 years in landmark French rape case that horrified the world

AVIGNON, France – A French court found Dominique Pelicot guilty on Dec 19 of repeatedly drugging and raping his wife for almost a decade, and inviting dozens of strangers to rape her unconscious body in a case that horrified the world.

All the Frenchman’s

50 co-defendants

were also found guilty of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault, while their victim, Ms Gisele Pelicot, sat in the packed courtroom to hear the sentencing, having waived her right to anonymity.

Ms Pelicot, 72, has become a stirring symbol of female courage and resilience during the three-month trial, and her supporters outside the courthouse in the southern city of Avignon cheered as news of the guilty verdicts filtered out.

“This trial was a very difficult ordeal,” she said in her first comments at the end of the sentencing, adding that she did not regret her decision to let the case be heard in public.

“I now have confidence in our ability to collectively seize a future in which each woman and man can live in harmony with respect and mutual understanding. I thank you,” she said.

Dominique Pelicot, who was married to his ex-wife for 50 years, had

pleaded guilty to the charges,

and a five-judge panel sentenced him to the maximum 20 years in jail, as sought by prosecutors.

The court found 46 of the other defendants guilty of rape, two guilty of attempted rape and two guilty of sexual assault, handing down sentences of between three and 15 years in jail, less than the four to 18 years demanded by the prosecution.

All the defendants have 10 days to decide whether to appeal, and Pelicot’s lawyer said her client was considering this.

“Shame on the justice system,” some in the waiting crowd chanted at news of the lighter-than-requested prison terms.

Many of the accused had denied the charges, saying they thought it was a consensual sex game orchestrated by the couple and arguing that it was not rape if the husband approved.

But Pelicot, also 72, denied misleading the men, saying they knew exactly what they were doing. “I am a rapist like the others in this room,” he testified.

Ms Pelicot had demanded during the trial 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.

The trial has triggered

protest rallies around France

in support of Ms Pelicot, and spurred soul-searching, including a debate on whether to update France’s rape law, which makes no mention that sex should involve consent.

Ms Pelicot stared down her abusers with steely determination in the packed courtroom day after day, scoffing at any claim that she might have been a willing participant. “I’ve decided not to be ashamed, I’ve done nothing wrong,” she testified in October. “They are the ones who must be ashamed,” she said.

Horrifying secrets

The Pelicots’ children, David, Caroline and Florian, were in court to hear the verdict alongside their mother. The siblings

have spoken out forcibly against their father,

rejecting his pleas for forgiveness.

“The children are disappointed by these low sentences,” said a family member, asking not to be identified.

The defendants come from all walks of life – lorry drivers, soldiers, firefighters, security guards, farmworkers, a supermarket worker, a journalist and the jobless.

The youngest suspect was just 22 when he entered the Pelicots’ bedroom, while the oldest was in his early 70s. Many had children and were in relationships. Most lived within a 50km radius of the Pelicots’ picturesque village of Mazan, which nestles in vineyards below Mont Ventoux.

The case came to light only in 2020, when Pelicot was caught trying to take photographs up the skirts of women in a supermarket.

The police then discovered over 20,000 photos and videos on his computer drives, revealing the horrifying secrets he had hidden from his now former wife for a decade.

The police believe 72 men had gone to the house to rape and abuse Ms Pelicot, but they were not able to identify them all.

Pelicot acknowledged putting powerful tranquillisers into his wife’s food and coffee that made her sleep for hours. Ms Pelicot said she was worried she was developing Alzheimer’s or had a brain tumour because of the memory gaps.

She said she hopes the enormous interest in her case will help other women who have suffered sexual abuse, and brushed off praise for her bravery in letting the world see her pain.

“It’s not courage. It’s determination to change things,” she told the court in October. “This is not just my battle, but that of all rape victims.” REUTERS, AFP