France Avignon: guilty verdict for ex-husband in rape trial
The main defendant in the abuse trial in Avignon has been found guilty of aggravated rape. The 72-year-old has yet to be sentenced. Dominique Pelicot had repeatedly drugged his then wife Gisèle for almost ten years, abused her and had her raped by dozens of strangers. He confessed to the acts in court. The presiding judge first announced the guilty verdicts this morning. The court will then comment on the sentences.
19.12.2024, 10:10
SDA
Prosecution has demanded long sentences in some cases for co-defendants
In addition to the main defendant, 50 other men are on trial in the mammoth trial in the south of France, most of them on charges of rape. The sentencing against them continued. The public prosecutor only charged one of them with sexual violence and demanded four years in prison.
Against all the others, they demanded a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 18 years in prison for rape. Antoine Camus, a lawyer for the co-plaintiff, said: "Everyone contributed to this monstrosity, to this martyrdom of this woman, in their own measure, at their own level." The men are said to have been between 21 and 68 years old at the time of the crime. Dominique Pelicot sought contact with them on an online platform.
Possibly raped 200 times
Gisèle Pelicot's years of sexual abuse came to light four years ago by chance. Dominique Pelicot was arrested in September 2020 after filming women up their skirts in a supermarket. Police officers examined the man's computer. He had documented the abuse of his wife in hundreds of photos and videos.
Gisèle herself had not witnessed the assaults due to the strong medication that her then husband had secretly administered to her. She is believed to have suffered around 200 rapes. Investigators also suspect a dozen other perpetrators, but they have not been identified.
Gisèle Pelicot has become a role model
The trial, which has been running since September, has shaken up France. In an unusual move, Gisèle Pelicot decided not to have the trial conducted behind closed doors. She has nothing to reproach herself with, emphasized the early seventy-year-old.
In just a few weeks, Pelicot became a role model and feminist icon. She wanted other abused women to take courage from her, she said in court. "I want them to feel no more shame. It's not us who should be ashamed, it's them."
