A man who repeatedly drugged his then wife and invited strangers to rape her while she was unconscious has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after a historic mass trial.
Dominique Pelicot, 72, had confessed to all the charges and admitted he mixed sedatives into the food and drink of his wife, Gisele Pelicot, so he could sexually assault her.
Warning: This story contains details that readers may find distressing
He is one of 51 men who were on trial for participating in the attacks against Ms Pelicot, 71.
All of the men were found guilty of at least one offence, with nearly all convicted of rape, after a trial which has shocked France and made headlines around the world.
The sentence handed down to Dominique Pelicot is the maximum available for aggravated rape in France.
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The high profile case led women in France and across the world to join demonstrations in solidarity with Ms Pelicot – who waived her right to anonymity during the trial as she insisted it was for perpetrators to feel “shame” and not victims.
The mother-of-three, who arrived at the court in Avignon smiling today as she was welcomed by her supporters, looked at each defendant directly as they were found guilty.
She had earlier told reporters she would speak after the verdicts had been delivered.
Her supporters had shouted “justice for Gisele” and applauded her as she made her way to the courthouse.
Pic: Reuters
Soldier, plumber and lorry driver among offenders
Following the sentencing of her then husband, the other 50 defendants were handed jail terms ranging between three and 15 years.
Among them were Joan K, a 27-year-old soldier who was handed a 10-year sentence for raping Ms Pelicot twice in 2019 and 2020, and Ahmed T, a 54-year-old plumber who has been jailed for eight years for raping her once in 2019.
All of the 50 defendants can only be identified by their first name and the initial of their surname for French legal reasons.
Romain V, a 63-year-old retiree, was jailed for 15 years for raping Ms Pelicot six times between December 2019 and January 2020.
Saifeddine G, a 37-year-old lorry driver who raped Ms Pelicot once at her home in 2019, was sentenced to three years in prison.
During the trial, Dominique Pelicot told the court: “I am a rapist just like all the others in this room.”
A supporter holding up a sign saying ‘Thank you Gisele’
Ms Pelicot had insisted that the trial was held in public and the court show the explicit videos of the rapes recorded by her then husband as she wanted people to “see the truth”.
Crowds, mostly made up of women, flocked to the courthouse this morning to show their support for Ms Pelicot during the trial – waiting hours to get inside, and holding up signs that read: “Gisele: Women thank you.”
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‘Gisèle Pelicot is an icon!’
‘They regarded me like a rubbish bag’
The Pelicots were married for 50 years and had three children, moving to a small town in Provence after they retired.
Everything appeared normal, until Ms Pelicot’s life was torn apart in late 2020.
Her husband was arrested in September 2020 for filming up women’s skirts in a supermarket.
A sketch of Dominique Pelicot during the trial in September. Pic: Reuters
Police searched the couple’s house and electronic devices and found thousands of photos and videos of men engaging in sexual acts with Ms Pelicot while she appeared unconscious.
It was discovered that Dominique Pelicot had offered sex with his wife on a website and filmed the abuse. Ms Pelicot was so heavily drugged she had no recollection of being attacked and had to be told by the police what had happened to her.
The men, she told the court, treated her “like a rag doll, like a rubbish bag”.
The hard drive also contained naked images of the couple’s eldest daughter, although Pelicot denied ever abusing her, as well as images taken on a hidden camera of his pregnant daughter-in-law. Both victims also waived their right to anonymity.
Read more: Sons face ‘devil’ father in court
Dominique Pelicot in court
The defendants put on trial were of different ages, ethnicities and social backgrounds – and had been dubbed “Monsieur Tout le monde” or “Mr Everyman” by the French press, because their backgrounds are so varied.
Most lived within a 35-mile radius of the couple, and some were even known to Ms Pelicot.
Some denied the rape charges, claiming they believed Ms Pelicot had agreed to be drugged and was a willing participant in a sex game between the couple.
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But Ms Pelicot told the court: “They didn’t rape me with a gun to their heads. They were fully conscious when they were raping me.”
She added: “Why didn’t they go to the police? Even an anonymous phone call could have saved my life.”
Debate around France’s rape law
The trial has sparked a debate about whether France should update its rape law, which does not require sex to involve consent.
Instead, prosecutors must prove a perpetrator’s intent to rape using “violence, coercion, threat or surprise”.