Gisèle Pelicot’s Ex-Husband And The 50 Men He Invited To Rape Her Have All Been Found Guilty
Dominique Pelicot has been sentence to 20 years in prison, but Gisèle's children have said they were "disappointed" with the low sentences.
A French court has sentenced Dominique Pelicot to 20 years in prison for drugging his ex-wife Gisèle Pelicot and inviting dozens of strangers over to rape her while she was unconscious in a case that has shocked the world.
71-year-old Gisèle was drugged by Dominique and raped at least 92 times by 72 men between 2011 and 2020 without her knowledge.
Dominique, her husband of 50 years, would allegedly mix sleeping and anti-anxiety pills into her food or drinks and then invite different men to their home to rape her when she became unconscious.
Dominique would find these men in a private online chatroom, where members discussed performing sexual acts on their partners without their consent.
He would invite other men to rape his wife and to watch videos of the assault afterwards.
He gave them strict instructions to follow before entering the house, such as parking far away and to not wear any fragrances or smoke cigarettes, so that Gisèle would not find out.
She only found out in October 2020 after Dominique was arrested for filming a video of a woman's underskirt in a supermarket, which led to a police investigation.
Police found a file on Dominique's computer named "abuses" containing more than 20,000 photos and videos of Gisèle being raped and sexually abused while unconscious, according to the New York Times.
Police took two years to track down all the men, identifying 50 of them.
During the trial, which began on Sep. 2, Gisèle chose not to be anonymous and asked to have the trial be public instead of private.
She said she hoped to let everyone know what she had experienced, to speak for "every woman who had been drugged without their knowledge” and place the shame on the men instead of on her.
Throughout the trial that lasted for more than three months, Gisèle received widespread support from activists and the public, with protests taking place across France asking for justice and changes in rape laws.
Dominique had pleaded guilty but several of the men did not, saying they thought it was consensual, they were tricked into it or told by Dominique that she was pretending to be asleep.
On Thursday, Dec. 19, the court sentenced Dominique to 20 years in prison for “aggravated rape” of his wife.
He was also charged of attempting to commit “aggravated rape” against one of the men’s wife and guilty of taking inappropriate photos of his daughter, as well as his daughters-in-law, according to the BBC.
The remaining 50 men were also given different sentences.
The court had found 46 of the 50t men guilty of rape, two of attempted rape and two of sexual assault.
After the verdict was announced, Gisèle "rested her head on the wall of the court," according to the BBC, as the crowd outside the courthouse erupted into cheers and applause.
However, her children said they were "disappointed" with the "low" sentences, according to AFP.
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