- Dominique Pelicot has been sentenced to 20 years in prison
- The other 50 me were found guilty on at least one charge
- Dominique Pelicot had drugged and raped his wife for more than a decade and invited the men to rape and assault her whilst she was unconscious
- The mass rape trial has garnered attention from all over the world
Gisèle Pelicot’s Ex-Husband Jailed for 20 Years in Mass Rape Trial
Dominique Pelicot, the ex-husband of French rape survivor Gisèle Pelicot, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after being convicted of drugging and raping her, as well as inviting dozens of other men to abuse her over a period of nearly a decade. The 72-year-old was found guilty of all charges by a judge in Avignon, southern France, and became emotional in court as the sentence was read.
Pelicot was one of 51 men on trial, with all of them convicted of at least one charge, though their sentences were shorter than the maximum penalties sought by prosecutors. The case marks the conclusion of France’s largest-ever rape trial, which has drawn widespread attention and shock both in France and around the world.
In an emotional statement after the verdict, Ms Pelicot said the trial had been a “very difficult ordeal,” but she had no regrets about making the trial public. Her decision to waive her anonymity, which is uncommon in such cases, allowed the public to learn the full details of the abuse she endured. She attended nearly every day of the trial, facing her ex-husband, with whom she had been married for 50 years before their divorce.
The trial received widespread media attention, with journalists from both French and international outlets closely following the case.