From the BBC:
“Gisèle
Pelicot's ex-husband jailed for 20 years in mass rape trial”
French rape
survivor Gisèle Pelicot's ex-husband has been jailed for 20 years after
drugging and raping her, and inviting dozens of strangers to also abuse her
over nearly a decade. Dominique Pelicot, 72, was found guilty of all charges by
a judge in Avignon, southern France, and cried in court as he was sentenced to
the maximum term. He was on trial with 50 other men, all of whom were found
guilty of at least one charge, although their jail terms were less than what
prosecutors had demanded.
Ms Pelicot and
her children looked emotionless as the verdicts were read out, occasionally
glancing at the defendants and resting their heads against the wall. The
convictions bring to an end France's largest ever rape trial, which over the
course of three months has shocked the country and the world.
On Thursday
morning, police shut the road opposite the courthouse to accommodate hundreds
of people who turned up to offer their support to Ms Pelicot. A large banner
reading "Thank you Gisèle" was spread across a wall facing the
entrance. Underneath it, several members of the public chanted "rapist, we
see you" as defendants trickled in ahead of the trial. Speaking outside of
the court following the verdicts, Ms Pelicot said the trial had been a
"very difficult ordeal". Her grandson, who is in his late teens, was
standing next to her for the first time, his arm over her shoulder as she
addressed the media. Her voice faltered only once as said she "never
regretted" her decision to make the trial public "so society could
see what was happening". The 72-year-old's decision to waive her automatic
right to anonymity was highly unusual. She attended almost every day of the
trial, appearing in the same courtroom as her husband of 50 years, who she has
now divorced.
French and
global media followed the case with growing interest and hundreds of
journalists were present in court on Thursday. As Ms Pelicot spoke, hundreds of
people chanted her name and sang feminist songs. She gave her
"profound" thanks to her supporters and said she had
"confidence" in there being a "better future" where men and
women can live in "mutual respect".
Ms Pelicot's
ex-husband Dominique Pelicot - who had already confessed to his crimes - was
found guilty of aggravated rape. He was also found guilty of the attempted
aggravated rape of the wife of one of his co-accused, Jean-Pierre Maréchal. Maréchal
- who was described as Dominique's "disciple" as he drugged and raped
his own wife for years and invited Dominque to do the same - was jailed for 12
years. Dominique Pelicot was also found guilty of taking indecent images of his
daughter, Caroline Darian, and his daughters-in-law, Aurore and Celine. Caroline
- who was in court on Thursday - previously told the trial she felt she was the
"forgotten victim" as, unlike in her mother's case, there was no
record of the abuse she is convinced was inflicted on her. Dominique denied
drugging and abusing his daughter. "I will never come see you and you will
die alone like a dog," she shouted at him in court in November. After the
verdict were delivered, Dominique Pelicot's lawyer said her client was
"somewhat dazed" by his sentence and would consider whether to
appeal. He has 10 days to decide whether to do so.
Dominique
Pelicot stood accused alongside 50 other men, 46 of whom were found guilty of
rape, two of attempted rape and two of sexual assault. Several of them have
already spent years in jail as they were arrested when police conducted their
initial investigation in 2021, and will therefore be free relatively soon. Most
of the men on trial had denied that what they did was rape. They argued they
did not realise Ms Pelicot was unconscious and therefore did not
"know" they were raping her. It is an argument that sparked a
nationwide discussion about France's legal definition of rape. The defendants'
jail terms range from between three and 15 years. In a statement to AFP news
agency, the Pelicot children said they were "disappointed" by the
"low sentences".
For almost a
decade from 2011, Dominique Pelicot drugged his now ex-wife and raped her, and
recruited dozens of men online to have sex with her while she was unconscious. His
crimes were discovered in 2020, when police arrested him over a separate charge
of filming up the skirts of women in a supermarket. Police seized his devices
and found thousands of videos on his laptop, with evidence of around 200 rapes.
Investigators used the videos to track down his co-accused, although they were
unable to identify an additional 21 men. Dominique Pelicot admitted the charges
in 2020. The trial sparked a discussion about whether the issue of consent
should be added to France's legal definition of rape, as it has been in other
European countries.
Rape in France
is currently defined as "any act of sexual penetration committed against
another person by violence, constraint, threat or surprise", meaning
prosecutors must prove intent to rape. Many of the defendants argued they did
not realise Ms Pelicot had not consented, claiming they were
"tricked" by Dominique Pelicot, and believed they were going to the
couple's house for a threesome involving a fantasy that the woman would be asleep.
The trial also shone a light on the issue of chemical submission, or
drug-induced sexual assault. Most of the 50 men came from towns and villages in
a 50km (30 mile) radius of the Pelicots' home village of Mazan. They included
firefighters, lorry drivers, soldiers, a journalist and a DJ, and were been
described by defence lawyers as being "ordinary people", earning them
the nickname Monsieur-Tout-Le-Monde (Mr Everyman). The trial also brought
sexual violence against women into the spotlight in France, with many praising
Ms Pelicot for her bravery in opening up the case to the public. She previously
said she was determined to make "shame change sides" from the victim
to the rapist. It is a phrase that has been repeated by her supporters. But Ms
Pelicot has been clear that behind her facade of strength "lies a field of
ruins" and despite the widespread acclaim for what she has done, she is a
reluctant hero. "She keeps repeating, 'I am normal' - she does not want to
be considered as an icon," her lawyer Stéphane Babonneau told the BBC. "Women
generally have a strength in them that they can't even imagine and that they
have to trust themselves. That's her message."
^ This is a
really disgusting case and all 50 Rapists got extremely short sentences. ^
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