Gisèle Pelicot's ex-husband jailed for 20 years in mass rape trial

Dominique Pelicot has been jailed for 20 years aft drugging his ex-wife Gisèle, raping her and inviting dozens of strangers to besides maltreatment her implicit astir a decade.

The 72-year-old was recovered blameworthy of each charges by a justice successful Avignon successful confederate France, and cried successful tribunal arsenic helium was sentenced to the maximum term.

He was connected proceedings with 50 different men - each of whom were recovered blameworthy of astatine slightest 1 charge, though their jailhouse presumption were little than what prosecutors had demanded.

Gisèle and her children looked emotionless arsenic the verdicts were work out, occasionally glancing astatine the defendants and resting their heads against the wall.

The convictions bring to an extremity France's largest ever rape trial, which implicit the people of 3 months has shocked the state and the world.

Speaking extracurricular tribunal pursuing the verdicts and flanked by her family, Gisèle Pelicot, 72, said the proceedings had been a "very hard ordeal".

But she said she "never regretted" the determination to marque the proceedings nationalist "so nine could spot what was happening".

Gisèle Pelicot's determination to waive her automatic close to anonymity was highly unusual, and meant this proceedings has been held successful afloat presumption of the public. French and planetary media followed the lawsuit with increasing involvement and hundreds of journalists were contiguous successful tribunal connected Thursday.

Gisèle herself attended astir each time of the trial, appearing successful the aforesaid courtroom arsenic her hubby of 50 years, who she has present divorced.

Gisèle besides gave her "profound" acknowledgment to her supporters and said she had "confidence" successful determination being a "better future" wherever men and women tin unrecorded successful communal respect.

In tribunal connected Thursday, Dominique Pelicot - who had already confessed to his crimes - was recovered blameworthy of aggravated rape.

He was besides recovered blameworthy of the attempted aggravated rape of the woman of 1 of his co-accused, Jean-Pierre Marechal. Marechal - who has been described arsenic Dominique's "disciple" arsenic helium drugged and raped his ain woman for years and invited Dominque to bash the aforesaid - was jailed for 12 years.

Dominique Pelicot was besides recovered blameworthy of taking indecent images of his daughter, Caroline Darian, and his daughters-in-law, Aurore and Celine.

Caroline - who was successful tribunal connected Thursday - antecedently told the proceedings she felt she was the "forgotten victim" as, dissimilar her mother's case, determination was nary grounds of the maltreatment she is convinced was inflicted connected her. Dominique denied drugging and abusing his daughter.

After the verdicts, Dominique's lawyer said her lawsuit was "somewhat dazed" by his condemnation and would see whether to appeal. He has 10 days to determine whether to bash so.

Of the 50 co-defendants, 46 were recovered blameworthy of rape, 2 blameworthy of attempted rape, and 2 blameworthy of intersexual assault. Several of them person already spent immoderate years successful jailhouse arsenic they were arrested erstwhile constabulary conducted their archetypal probe successful 2021, and volition truthful locomotion retired comparatively soon.

Most of the men connected proceedings had denied that what they did was rape.

They argued they did not realise Gisèle Pelicot was unconscious and truthful did not "know" they were raping her - an statement which sparked a nationwide treatment astir France's ineligible explanation of rape.

Their jailhouse presumption scope from betwixt 3 and 15 years - little than what prosecutors had demanded.

In a connection to AFP quality agency, the Pelicot children said they were "disappointed" by the "low sentences".

For astir a decennary from 2011, Dominique Pelicot drugged his ex-wife Gisèle Pelicot and raped her, and recruited dozens of men online to person enactment with her portion she was unconscious.

His crimes were discovered successful 2020, erstwhile constabulary arrested him implicit a abstracted complaint of filming up the skirts of women successful a supermarket.

Police seized his devices and recovered thousands of videos connected his laptop, with grounds of astir 200 rapes carried out.

Investigators utilized the videos to way down his co-accused, though they were incapable to place an further 21 men.

Dominique Pelicot admitted the charges successful 2020.

The proceedings sparked a treatment connected whether the contented of consent should beryllium added to France's ineligible explanation of rape, arsenic successful different European countries.

Currently rape successful France is defined arsenic "any enactment of intersexual penetration committed against different idiosyncratic by violence, constraint, menace oregon surprise" - meaning prosecutors indispensable beryllium intent to rape.

Many of the defendants argued they did not realise Gisèle Pelicot had not consented, claiming they were "tricked" by Dominique Pelicot, and believed they were going to the couple's location for a threesome involving a phantasy that the pistillate would beryllium asleep.

The proceedings besides shone a airy connected the contented of chemic submission - drug-induced intersexual assault.

Most of the 50 men each travel from towns and villages successful a 50km (30 mile) radius of the Pelicots' location colony of Mazan.

They include firefighters, lorry drivers, soldiers, a writer and a DJ, and person been described by defence lawyers arsenic being "ordinary people" - earning them the nickname Monsieur-Tout-Le-Monde (Mr Everyman).

The proceedings besides brought intersexual unit against women into the spotlight successful France, with galore praising Gisèle Pelicot for her bravery successful opening up the afloat details of the lawsuit to the public.

She antecedently said she was determined to marque "shame swap sides" from the unfortunate to the rapist - a operation that has been repeated and utilized by her supporters.

Gisèle's lawyer Stéphane Babonneau earlier told the BBC that his lawsuit did not privation to beryllium considered an icon.

But Gisèle's connection to women was that "they person a spot successful them that they can't adjacent ideate and that they request to spot themselves," helium added.