Gisele Pelicot’s Ex-Husband And 50 Men Jailed In French Mass Rape Trial

 

Gisele Pelicot, who was drugged by her now former husband so that he and others could assault her, arrives at the court house in Avignon, southern France.

Dominique Pelicot—who admitted to drugging his ex-wife Gisele multiple times over a decade and inviting strangers from the internet to rape her when she was unconscious—was sentenced by a French court to 20 years in jail, while dozens of other men were also handed prison terms in a landmark mass rape case that shocked the country.

Key Facts

Dominique Pelicot received the maximum sentence of 20 years after the court found him guilty of aggravated rape of Gisele, attempting to rape the wife of another man convicted in the case, and distributing images of his wife, daughter Caroline, and daughters-in-law Aurore and Celine, without their consent or knowledge.

According to Le Monde, the 72-year-old will have to serve at least two-thirds of his sentence and his name will be added to France’s national sex offenders register.

The court also convicted all fifty other defendants and sentenced them to between 15 and three years in jail.

The court found Pelicot and 46 other defendants guilty of rape, two guilty of attempted rape and two guilty of sexual assault.

One of the convicted men, Jean-Pierre Marechal, who admitted to following Pelicot’s actions by drugging his own wife for five years and inviting Pelicot to rape her, was sentenced to 12 years.

The defendants have 10 days to challenge the verdict and Pelicot’s lawyer said he is considering an appeal.

Crucial Quote

In a statement on X, the President of the French National Assembly, Yaël Braun-Pivet, said: “Thank you for your courage Gisèle Pelicot. Through you, the voices of so many victims are being heard today, the shame is changing sides, and the taboo is being broken. Thanks to you, the world is no longer the same.”

Key Background

Gisele Pelicot and the police first became aware of Dominique’s actions in 2020 after he was caught by a shopping mall security guard in Paris while secretly trying to film under women’s skirts. After he was arrested, police discovered a stash of 20,000 videos and photos stored on his computer, which documented rape and abuse inflicted on his wife. The videos allowed police to identify many of the other men who were involved in the sexual assault. The assaults occurred between 2011 and 2020 in the Pelicots’ home in Mazan, in southeastern France.

Tangent

Pelicot, who has since divorced her husband, allowed the trial to become public by waiving her right to anonymity—which is granted to victims of sexual assault in France. This made her a feminist hero in the country as her story was reported widely and triggered demonstrations in her support. On Thursday, Pelicot arrived at the court to cheers from supporters and a large banner reading "MERCI GISELE," or "thank you Gisèle,” was hung opposite the court building.