Frenchman Found Guilty Of Inviting Strangers To Rape Drugged Wife, Handed 20-Year Jail Term – News18

Last Updated:December 19, 2024, 15:21 IST

Gisele Pelicot, 72, attracted global attention after it was revealed that she was drugged by her husband Dominique and raped by over 80 men over 10 years.

Gisele Pelicot case: Dominique Pelicot was found guilty of aggravated rape and was handed over a 20-year prison term after he was accused of drugging his wife Gisele Pelicot and inviting at least 80 strangers to sexually assault her for over 10 years, in a case that shook France and the entire world.

Gisele Pelicot, 72, was shattered after learning that her partner of five decades had secretly been administering her tranquilisers to rape her and inviting dozens of strangers to join him. However, she refused to hide her identity and demanded the trial to be open to the public as she felt it should be up to her alleged abusers to be ashamed, becoming a symbol of courage and resilience.

In a landmark and highly-anticipated verdict, Dominique Pelicot was found guilty of repeatedly drugging and raping his wife for over a decade. The panel also convicted a first batch of 20 out of 50 co-defendants in the case, dismissing some of their claims that they thought they were participating in a consensual sex game.

“You are therefore declared guilty of aggravated rape on the person of Mme. Gisele Pelicot”, read Roger Arata, the lead judge of the court as he worked his way through the first names on the list. At the age of 72, it means that he would spend the rest of his life in prison. His wife Gisele and her children David and Caroline were also present.

Dominique was sentenced to 20 years in prison as Gisele rested her head against a wall in the courtroom. The 72-year-old man initially showed no emotion as the verdicts were read out but later appeared to hunch over and cry, according to BBC.

He was also found guilty of the attempted aggravated rape of the wife of one of the co-accused Jean Pierre Marechal, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison, as well as taking indecent pictures of his daughter Caroline and his daughters-in-law.

A Fiery Trial That Shook The World

Prosecutors had demanded a 20-year prison term for Dominique Pelicot in the case, which was “too little in view of the seriousness of the acts that were committed and repeated”, that appalled the world. Dominique had earlier admitted to the charges.

The prosecutors also sought a 17-year sentence for Jean-Pierre Marechal, 63, who has admitted to working with Dominique to drug his own wife Cilia and for both men to rape her. Other defendants were also handed lengthy prison terms ranging from five to 13 years. One was acquitted.

A large crowd gathered outside the courtroom in the French city of Avignon on Thursday morning, demanding justice for Gisele. Her supporters cheered when news of the first guilty verdicts came out.

The trial has triggered protest rallies around France in support of Gisele, and spurred calls for tougher measures on sexual violence in the country, with furious debates on updating France’s rape law, which does not mention consent.

“For me this is the trial of cowardice, there is no other way to describe it,” Gisele Pelicot said on Tuesday ahead of the verdict, adding that there was no excuse for abusing her when she was unconscious. She had only learnt of the abuse four years ago when police found videos and pictures of her husband’s crime.

“They must take responsibility for their actions. They raped. Rape is rape,” she added.

As per reports, Gisele was drugged “almost to a state of coma” as her husband invited dozens of strangers to rape her. The victim had no knowledge of what happened to her and thought she was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease as she endured a growing number of gynaecological problems.

Gisele said she was saved by the police when they investigated her husband’s computer in November 2020, after Dominique was caught filiming up the skirts of women in a supermarket, and found 20,000 images and videos of his wife being raped over 100 times.