Dominique Pelicot has been found guilty for the repeated drugging and rape his then wife of 50 years, Gisèle Pelicot.
The horrifying allegations against not only Dominique but a further 50 men, led to the case making international news. And, when Gisèle chose to wave her right to anonymity, the 72-year-old swiftly sparked a #MeToo reckoning in her home country of France and became a symbol of strength and resilience for survivors everywhere.
First beginning in September, the trial, which lasted three months, heard testimonies from Gisèle, Dominique and some 50 men also on trial for her sexual assault.
Among them were a firefighter, a former police officer, a local councillor, nurses, a soldier, a journalist, truck drivers and a civil servant: all up more than 70 men aged 26 to 73 were arrested. Of them, 47 have been found guilty of rape, two guilty of attempted rape and two guilty of sexual assault. For these counts, the sentences ranged between three and 15 years behind bars.
Just 15 of the 47 pled guilty to the rape of Gisèle. One reportedly went so far as to claim “consent by delegation” – in other words, her husband said it was okay, so that’s enough.
As for Dominique, he has been sentenced to 20 years behind bars—the sentence Assistant state prosecutor Laure Chabaud demanded in their final hearing.
During the final days of the trial Chabaud called for Dominique to receive the maximum sentence for his crimes, calling it “long but not long enough given the gravity of the facts that were committed and repeated”.
His lawyer reportedly said that Dominique “always declared himself guilty”, adding, “I put her to sleep, I offered her, and I filmed.”
“I am a rapist,” he admitted on September 17. “I am a rapist like the others in this room. They all knew, they cannot say the contrary.” He also asked his wife for forgiveness, saying, “She did not deserve this … I was very happy with her … I ask for forgiveness, even though it is unacceptable.”
Dominique was first accused of drugging and raping his wife and inviting at least 72 other men to rape her between 2011 to 2020. He had been meticulous in his documenting of the abuse, with some 20,000 images retrieved by Police as evidence.
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