By Juliette Jabkhiro, Reuters
Gisele Pelicot insisted on a public trial to expose her husband and the other men accused of raping her.
Photo: CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP
Content warning: This story discusses sexual violence. A list of helplines is available at the bottom of the page.
- Husband drugged wife, invited dozens of men to rape her
- Prosecutors sought maximum 20-year term for husband
- Trial has sparked debate on updating France’s rape law
- Victim hopes case will help other sexual abuse survivors
A French court found all 51 defendants guilty on Thursday in a drugging-and-rape case that horrified the world and transformed the victim, Gisele Pelicot, into a stirring symbol of courage and resilience.
Pelicot’s ex-husband of 50 years, Dominique Pelicot, had pleaded guilty to drugging her repeatedly for almost a decade to rape her, and to offer up her unconscious body for sex to dozens of strangers he had met online, while videoing the abuse.
A panel of five judges sentenced him to the maximum 20 years in jail, as requested by prosecutors.
Prosecutors are also seeking terms of between four and 18 years for the other defendants, almost all of whom are accused of raping the comatose Gisele Pelicot.
A cheer went up outside the court in the southern French city of Avignon among the victim’s supporters when news of the first guilty verdicts filtered out.
Dominique Pelicot, 72, pleaded guilty to the charges during the three-month trial and apologised to his family. He also said that all the strangers he invited into his house knew that his now ex-wife was unaware of what was happening to her.
Gisele, who is also 72, waived her right to anonymity during the trial and demanded 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 Gisele, and spurred soul searching, including a debate on whether to update France’s rape law, which at present makes no mention that sex should involve consent.
Gisele 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.
The Pelicots’ children, David, Caroline and Florian, arrived in court to hear the verdict alongside their mother. The siblings have spoken out forcibly against their father.
– Reuters
Where to get help for sexual violence:
Victim Support 0800 842 846
Rape Crisis 0800 88 33 00
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Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) 022 344 0496