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WARNING: This article may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone who has been affected by it.
A court in France sentenced Gisèle Pelicot’s ex-husband to a maximum of 20 years in prison on Thursday 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.
The sentence against Dominique Pelicot was announced after he was found guilty of all charges against him. At the age of 72, this could mean that he will spend the rest of his life in prison.
The verdict was read by the chief judge of the court in Avignon, Roger Arata.
Arata read the verdicts one after the other against Pelicot and 50 other men, declaring “that you are therefore found guilty of aggravated rape of the person of Mme. Gisèle Pelicot” as he went through the first names on the list.
Gisèle Pelicot sat on one side of the courtroom, facing the defendants as Arata handed down one guilty verdict after another.
The mass-rape trial has shocked France and its implications will be felt far beyond the Avignon courthouse where judges heard and saw more than three months of evidence.
Pelicot, 72, became a feminist hero at home and abroad for renouncing her right to anonymity and standing up to her abusers in court.
Survivors of sexual abuse are usually not identified by the media. Usually, publication bans prevent the media from doing so to protect the privacy of survivors and encourage them to report crimes in the first place. But Pelicot waived her legal right to anonymity.
Everything about the trial in the city of Avignon in the south of France was exceptional, especially Pelicot herself.
She was the epitome of steely dignity and resilience through more than three months of harrowing testimony, including excerpts from her now-ex-husband’s horrifying collection of homemade abuse videos.
Dominique Pelicot has detailed 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.
Amazingly, it was easy for him to recruit his alleged accomplices. Many had jobs. Most are fathers. They came from all walks of life, with the youngest in their 20s and the oldest in their 70s.
Dominique Pelicot, according to his own confession in court, invited dozens of men he recruited online to his home to rape his wife Gisèle Pelicot – whom he drugged. A total of 51 men have been charged and verdicts are expected later this week. The CBC’s Sarah Leavitt spoke with Mazan residents about the trial’s impact on France.
A total of 50 men, including Dominique Pelicot, were tried for aggravated rape and attempted rape. Another man was tried for serious sexual assault.
“They looked at me like a rag doll, like a garbage bag,” Gisèle Pelicot testified in court.
The examination of accusations, evidence, the past of the accused and their defenses took so long that Dominique and Gisèle Pelicot had birthdays during the trial, and both turned 72.
How did the case come about?
Dominique Pelicot’s meticulous recording and cataloging of encounters – police found more than 20,000 photos and videos on his computer drives, in folders titled “abuse”, “her rapists” or “night alone” – provided investigators with a wealth of evidence and helped in leading them to the accused.
It also distinguishes this case 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 shocking video and other evidence to be heard and viewed in open court to show she had no shame and was apparently unconscious during the alleged rapes, undermining claims by some defendants that she may have pretended to be asleep or even were a willing participant.
Her courage – one woman, alone, against dozens of men – proved inspiring.
Supporters, mostly women, lined up early each day for a seat in the courthouse or to greet and thank her as she walked in and out – stoic, humble and kind, but also aware that her ordeal had reverberated beyond Avignon and France.
She said she 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,” she said.
For anyone who has been sexually assaulted, support is available through crisis lines and local support services Canadian Association to End Violence database.
Support is available for anyone affected by domestic or intimate partner violence 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.
