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WARNING: This article may affect people who have experienced sexual violence or know someone who has been affected by it.
A French court on Thursday sentenced Gisèle Pelicot’s ex-husband to up to 20 years in prison for drugging and raping her and allowing other men to rape her while she was knocked out, in an abuse that lasted nearly a decade .
Dominique Pelicot was sentenced after he was found guilty of all charges. At 72, it could mean he spends the rest of his life in prison.
The verdict was read by the main judge of the court of Avignon, Roger Arata.
Arata read the verdicts one after the other against Pelicot and 50 other men, declaring “therefore, he is found guilty of aggravated rape against the person of Mrs. Gisèle Pelicot” while going through the first names of the list
Gisèle Pelicot sat on one side of the courtroom, facing the defendants as Arata announced one guilty verdict after another.
The mass rape trial has shocked France and its implications will be felt far beyond the Avignon court where judges have heard and seen more than three months of evidence.
Pelicot, 72, has become a feminist hero at home and abroad for giving up her right to anonymity and facing her abusers in court.
The media typically do not identify survivors of sexual abuse. Publication bans typically prevent the media from doing so to protect survivors’ privacy and encourage them to report crimes in the first place. But Pelicot waived his legal right to anonymity.
Everything about the trial in the southern French city of Avignon has been exceptional, especially Pelicot herself.
She has been the epitome of steely dignity and resilience through more than three months of harrowing testimony, including excerpts from her now-ex-husband’s sordid library of domestic abuse videos.
Dominique Pelicot painstakingly cataloged how he routinely sedated his wife of 50 years during their last decade together so he and dozens of strangers he met online could rape her while she was unconscious.
Surprisingly, he found it easy to recruit his alleged accomplices. Many had jobs. Most are parents. They came from all walks of life, with the youngest in their 20s and the oldest in their 70s.
LOOK | Before the historic verdict:
Dominique Pelicot, by his own admission in court, invited dozens of men he recruited online to his home to rape his wife, Gisèle Pelicot, whom he had drugged. In all, 51 men are charged and verdicts are expected later this week. CBC’s Sarah Leavitt spoke with residents in Mazan about the impact of the trial in France.
In all, 50 men, including Dominique Pelicot, were tried for aggravated rape and attempted rape. Another man was tried for aggravated sexual assault.
“They considered me like a rag doll, like a bag of garbage,” Gisèle Pelicot testified in court.
The examination of the charges, the evidence, the defendant’s background and his defenses took so long that Dominique and Gisèle Pelicot celebrated their 72nd birthday during the trial.
How did the case come about?
The meticulous recording and cataloging of Dominique Pelicot’s encounters – police found more than 20,000 photos and videos on computer drives, in folders titled “abuse”, “her rapists” or “just the night” – provide investigators with a large amount of evidence and helped lead them to the accused.
This also sets the case apart from many others where sexual violence is not reported or prosecuted because the evidence is not as strong.
Gisèle Pelicot and her lawyers successfully fought for a shocking video and other evidence to be heard and seen in public, to show that she was shameless and clearly unconscious during the alleged rapes, undermining claims by some defendants that he could have been pretending to sleep. or even having been a voluntary participant.
Her courage—one woman, alone, against dozens of men—was inspiring.
Supporters, mostly women, lined up early each day to find a seat in court or to cheer and thank her as she walked in and out — stoic, humble and kind, but also aware that her ordeal resonated more beyond Avignon and France.
He said he was fighting for “all those people around the world, women and men, who are victims of sexual violence.”
“Look around you: you are not alone,” he said.
For anyone who has been sexually assaulted, support is available through crisis lines and local support services through the Ending Violence Association of Canada database.
For anyone affected by family or intimate partner violence, support is available crisis lines and local support services.
If you are in immediate danger or fear for your safety or the safety of others around you, call 911.
