Gisèle Pelicot’s ex-husband was found guilty of rape and sentenced to 20 years in prison in France
WARNING: This article may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone who has.
A court in France on Thursday sentenced Gisèle Pelicot’s ex-husband to a maximum of 20 years in prison for drugging and raping her and allowing other men to rape her while she was unconscious. The abuse lasted almost a decade.
The verdict against Dominique Pelicot was announced after he was found guilty of all charges against him. At age 72, it could mean he spends the rest of his life in prison.
The verdict was read by the chief judge of the Avignon court, Roger Arata.
Arata read out verdicts against Pelicot and 50 other men one by one, declaring, “You are therefore found guilty of aggravated rape against Ms. Gisèle Pelicot,” as he worked his way through the first names on the list.
Gisèle Pelicot sat on one side of the courtroom, watching the defendants as Arata announced one guilty verdict after another.
The mass rape trial has shocked France and its impact will be felt far beyond the Avignon courthouse, where judges have heard and seen evidence for more than three months.
Pelicot, 72, has become a feminist hero at home and abroad for waiving her right to anonymity and fighting back in court against her abusers.
Survivors of sexual abuse are typically not identified in the media. Publication bans typically prevent the media from protecting survivors’ privacy and encouraging them to report the crimes in the first place. But Pelicot waived her legal right to anonymity.
Everything about the trial in the southern French city of Avignon was extraordinary, especially Pelicot himself.
She was the epitome of steely dignity and resilience during more than three months of horrific testimony, including excerpts from her ex-husband’s filthy library of homemade abuse videos.
Dominique Pelicot has carefully cataloged how he regularly seduced his wife of 50 years during their last decade together so that he and dozens of strangers he met online could rape her while she was unconscious.
Surprisingly, he found it easy to recruit his alleged accomplices. Many had jobs. Most are fathers. They came from all walks of life, the youngest was in his 20s and the eldest was in his 70s.
According to his own statements in court, Dominique Pelicot invited dozens of men he had recruited online to his home to rape his wife Gisèle Pelicot – whom he had drugged. A total of 51 men have been charged and verdicts are expected this week. CBC’s Sarah Leavitt spoke to Mazan residents about the impact of the trial in France.
A total of 50 men, including Dominique Pelicot, stood trial for aggravated rape and attempted rape. Another man was charged with aggravated sexual assault.
“They looked at me like a rag doll, like a garbage bag,” Gisèle Pelicot testified in court.
The review of the charges, the evidence, the defendants’ backgrounds and their defense took so long that Dominique and Gisèle Pelicot shared birthdays during the trial and both turned 72.
How did the case come about?
Dominique Pelicot’s careful recording and cataloging of the encounters – police found more than 20,000 photos and videos on his computer drives in folders titled “abuse,” “her rapists” or “night alone” – provided investigators with a wealth of evidence and aided the leadership she the accused.
This also distinguishes the case from many others in which sexual violence is not reported or prosecuted because the evidence is not as convincing.
Gisèle Pelicot and her lawyers successfully fought for shocking video footage and other evidence to be heard and viewed in open court to show that she was not ashamed and was clearly unconscious during the alleged rapes, refuting claims by some defendants that They may have only pretended to be asleep or even been willing to participate.
Her courage – one woman alone against dozens of men – proved inspiring.
Supporters, mostly women, lined up early every day to get a spot in the courthouse or to cheer and thank her as she walked in and out – stoic, humble and gracious, but also aware that her ordeal was over Avignon and resonated beyond France.
She said she was fighting for “all the people around the world, women and men, who are victims of sexual violence.”
“Look around you: you are not alone,” she said.
For anyone who has been sexually abused, there is support through crisis hotlines and local support services through the Ending Violence Association of Canada database.
There is support for everyone affected by violence in the family or in a partner Crisis hotlines and local support services.
If you are in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.
