Dominique Pelicot and 50 others guilty in French mass rape trial

Dominique Pelicot has been given a 20-year prison sentence after being found guilty of the aggravated rape of his ex-wife Gisèle Pelicot by a court in the French city Avignon on Thursday, in a trial that horrified France and the world.

Dominique Pelicot, who had admitted to his crimes in court, repeatedly drugged his then-wife, abused her and offered her to dozens of strangers to rape while heavily sedated, over a period of almost 10 years.

The ex-husband’s lawyer, Béatrice Zavarro, said after the verdict only that her client, who is now 72 years old, had taken note of the outcome and that it has not yet been decided whether he will appeal.

The judges also convicted the 50 other co-accused, with the verdicts and sentences read out one by one to the packed courtroom. Nearly all were found guilty on rape charges.

The judges imposed prison sentences of between three and 15 years on the 50 co-accused. A handful of those convicted will be released because they have already served their time while in custody.

These sentences fell short of what the prosecution had called for. They had demanded prison time of between four and 18 years for the 50 men, who are said to have been between 21 and 68 years old at the time of their offences.

Gisèle Pelicot’s lawyer, Antoine Camus, said: “Everyone contributed to this monstrosity, to this martyrdom of this woman, in their own way, at their own level.”

During the mammoth trial, the court heard how Dominique Pelicot made contact with the men on an online platform and recorded the abuse in hundreds of videos and photos.

Many of the co-accused had argued that they believed Pelicot had consented to the sexual encounters and was only pretending to be asleep.

Investigators suspect there are a dozen other perpetrators who have not been identified.

Gisèle Pelicot, who is now 72, believes she suffered around 200 rapes.

The trial, which has been ongoing since September, has shocked France and reignited the debate on criminal legislation on sexual violence.