Prosecutors demand 20-year jail sentence for husband in mass rape trial

French prosecutors person demanded a 20-year jailhouse condemnation for Dominique Pelicot, who is accused of drugging his erstwhile woman Gisèle for a decennary and inviting 50 men recruited online to rape her.

Mr Pelicot, who has admitted to the charges, should besides acquisition aesculapian attraction for 10 years, prosecutors said.

Twenty years - the maximum condemnation for rape nether French instrumentality - "is some a lot... and excessively small fixed the gravity of the acts that were committed and repeated," said authoritative Laure Chabaud.

Referring to an appraisal of Mr Pelicot made by a psychiatrist earlier successful the trial, Ms Chabaud said that the suspect presented "multiple intersexual deviances".

Verdicts and sentences are expected adjacent month.

"He sought pleasance done a tendency to submit, humiliate and debase his woman - the idiosyncratic helium claimed to cherish the astir successful the world," Ms Chabaud told the court, saying that Mr Pelicot, 72, should beryllium re-examined astatine the extremity of his condemnation earlier being released.

Another prosecutor, Jean-François Mayet, said the proceedings had shaken up nine and that what is astatine involvement "was not a condemnation oregon an acquittal" but "to fundamentally alteration the relations betwixt men and women".

Mr Mayet paid tribute to the "courage and dignity" of Gisèle Pelicot, who was successful tribunal arsenic she has been astir days since the proceedings began successful September.

Her determination to waive anonymity and person an unfastened proceedings has led to a immense magnitude of involvement successful the case, which has successful crook sparked a nationwide speech connected rape culture, consent and chemic submission - drugging idiosyncratic for the purposes of coercion oregon assault.

On Monday greeting posters speechmaking "20 years for everyone" had appeared connected the walls astir the Avignon courthouse wherever the proceedings is taking place.

However, it is improbable the 50 defendants successful this bonzer lawsuit volition beryllium handed sentences this long.

The longest jailhouse word requested by prosecutors contiguous - excluding the 20-year request made for Mr Pelicot - was for Jean-Pierre Marechal, a co-defendant who is not accused of raping Gisèle Pelicot, but who has admitted to drugging and raping his ain ex-wife connected Mr Pelicot's proposal and instruction.

He is facing 17 years successful prison.

Prosecutors besides demanded 10 years for astir of the different 19 defendants whose cases were examined today.

The bulk of the 50 accused contradict the charges of rape, arguing that they cannot beryllium blameworthy due to the fact that they did not realise Ms Pelicot was unconscious erstwhile they were invited to the family’s location by her husband, and truthful did not "know" they were raping her.

But authoritative Ms Chabaud said that "in 2024 we tin nary longer support that due to the fact that she didn't accidental anything, she consented."

She added that neither the circumstances nor the behaviour of Gisèle Pelicot "could person led these men to judge that she agreed to beryllium subjected to these intersexual acts successful her lethargic state."

In an code to people the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Prime Minister Michel Barnier said this proceedings was a watershed infinitesimal for the country's efforts to combat unit against women.

"I'm convinced that the Mazan proceedings volition people a earlier and after," helium said.

Mazan is the sanction of the colony wherever the Pelicots lived and wherever Dominque Pelicot filmed the section men helium had contacted online.

The premier curate besides announced a bid of authorities measures to combat unit against women, including backing for pharmacies to dispense location cause trial kits nether a aviator strategy to combat chemic submission.

Earlier connected Monday, Equality Minister Salima Saa said the authorities was “fully mobilised” and announced the enlargement of a strategy which allows victims of intersexual unit to record complaints successful hospitals and not conscionable constabulary stations.

The strategy is presently utilized successful 236 hospitals and volition beryllium extended to 377 by the extremity of adjacent year.

A caller consciousness run was besides announced.

The trial, which opened successful aboriginal September, is present successful its last stretch.

Lawyers for the 50 defendants volition marque their closing arguments implicit the adjacent 3 weeks, and a verdict is expected by 20 December.