Gisele Pelicot’s ex-husband jailed in French mass rape trial

STORY: Gisele Pelicot’s supporters erupt in applause when the verdict is announced.

A French court found all 51 defendants guilty in a drug and rape case that horrified the world and turned her, the victim of those crimes, into a moving symbol of courage and resilience.

Pelicot’s ex-husband of 50 years, Dominique Pelicot, had pleaded guilty to drugging her repeatedly for almost a decade to rape her and to offering her unconscious body for sex to dozens of strangers he had met online.

He filmed the abuse.

The court in Avignon, southern France, sentenced him to the maximum 20 years in prison requested by prosecutors.

Gisele waived her right to anonymity during the trial and demanded that the horrifying videos he recorded be shown in court.

She hoped this would help other women speak up.

“I have never regretted this decision. I now trust in our ability to jointly seize a future where each of us, woman and man, can live in harmony with mutual respect and understanding.”

The trial sparked protests around France in support of Gisele and spurred soul-searching

including a debate over whether to update France’s rape law, which does not mention that sex requires consent.

The five-judge panel generally imposed shorter terms than the four to 18 years prosecutors sought for the other defendants,

almost all were accused of raping Gisele Pelicot while she was in a coma.

Many had denied the accusations, saying they believed it was a sexual game orchestrated by the couple, arguing that it was not rape if the man consented.

In total, the court found 47 of the defendants guilty of rape, two guilty of attempted rape and two guilty of sexual assault.

Dominique Pelicot denied misleading the men and said they knew exactly what they were doing.

Women’s rights activist Laurine Pesseguier said the trial could be a watershed moment.

“I hope there will be a before and after this trial for all victims of domestic violence, sexual and sexist violence, but then I don’t know if it will change anything in the future. I hope it does, and at the level with justice, it will stand as an example.”

The Pelicots’ three children heard the verdict in court alongside their mother, who has become an icon to many.

They have spoken out forcefully against their father, rejecting his pleas for forgiveness.

Pelicot put powerful sedatives in his wife’s food and coffee that put her to sleep for hours.

Gisele said she was worried she was developing Alzheimer’s or had a brain tumor because of the memory lapses.

She stared down her abusers in the packed courtroom day after day, scoffing at any suggestion that she might have been a willing participant.

She testified in October, saying, “I’ve decided not to be ashamed. I’ve done nothing wrong.”