Gisele Pelicot's ex-husband jailed 20 years for mass rape

It was the final day of what some people called a historic court case.  But the sentences fell short of expectations.

The main accused, Dominique Pelicot, Gisele's now ex-husband, received a 20-year prison sentence for raping her and organizing the mass rape, which he also filmed.

Investigators believe he instigated around 110 men to rape his wife while she was under the influence of drugs.

Fifty today received jail terms of between 3 and 15 years, in all cases beneath what prosecutors had been asking for.

Investigators are still trying to track down at least 60 other men – possibly for future court cases.

Demonstrators, who had gathered since early morning outside the courthouse, expressed their frustration with the judges' decision.

They began chanting, "Shame on justice."

One woman called Stefanie, who had traveled from Portugal to the southern city of Avignon to support Gisele Pelicot, called the verdicts "a huge disappointment."

"I feel so bad – this is giving me a stomach ache," she said.

But Gisèle Pelicot told the press she "respected the court and their decision."

"I am confident society will be able to create a future in which women and men can live in harmony and mutual understanding," she said.

Gisele Pelicot descended the courthouse steps to a large group of well-wishers. She has regularly been greeted by crowds of supporters throughout the trial, and has been praised by many around the world for her courage and her desire to flip the shame from victim to perpetrator in cases of sexual assault.

"My first thoughts go out to my three children...and my grandchildren, because they are the future. [They] are why I chose to go through with the trial," she said.

Pelicot added that "I think of those victims who go unrecognized and whose cases never see the light of day."

"I am so thankful for the way that the journalists in particular accounted for what was going on in the courtroom day by day. I would like to thank everyone who supported me throughout these trying times."

She also thanked her lawyers and domestic violence organizations that help women in crisis.

She expressed confidence in society's collective ability to create a better future where "men and women can live together safely and with mutual respect."

"The shame must change sides. Thank you, Gisele Pelicot!" German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote on social media site X.

"You courageously went from anonymous to public and fought for justice. You gave women around the world a strong voice. The shame always lies with the perpetrator," he added.

Dominique Pelicot's lawyer Beatrice Zavarro said her client was considering filing an appeal.

"We're going to use the 10 days which we have to decide whether or not to appeal this decision," she said outside the courthouse, prompting boos from the onlookers.

At the same time, Jean-Pierre Marechal's attorney said that his client was satisfied with the outcome and would not appeal.

After being found guilty on all charges, including aggravated rape and possession of child abuse imagery, Dominque Pelicot was handed the maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

He reportedly cried as the sentence was read out.

The dozens of other defendants in the case were also handed guilty verdicts. 

There were sporadic acquittals on certain charges, such as one man who was found guilty of sexual assault but not rape and one man who was acquitted of possessing child abuse imagery.

Dominique Pelicot's co-accused were given sentences of between three and twenty years. Journalists in the court said that Gisele Pelicot's children looked unhappy at some of the shorter sentences.

Except for Pelicot, most of the sentences were a few years less than prosecutors had been asking for.

Each defendant now has ten days to file an appeal if they wish to do so.

Jean-Pierre Marechal, 63, has been found guilty of the aggravated rape and attempted rape of his wife.

Investigators said that Marechal was coached by Pelicot as to how to drug his wife and assault her.

Marechal did so for over five years, and invited Pelicot to visit them and do the same.

During the trial, Marechal called his actions "atrocious."

He was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Prosecutors had asked for 17.

Dominque Pelicot has been found guilty of raping his wife and recruiting others to do so by the five-judge panel in Avignon.

He was also found guilty of taking indecent pictures of his daughter Caroline, and his daughters-in-law Aurore and Celine without their knowledge.

The judges also found him guilty of raping the wife of his co-accused, Jean-Pierre Marechal.

Reporters inside the court, where cameras are not allowed, said that Dominique showed no emotion as the verdict was read out. His ex-wife and her children were watching the defendants quietly, they said.

Campaigners against sexual violence are hoping for exemplary prison terms and view the trial as a possible turning point in the fight against rape culture and the use of drugs to subdue victims.  DW's Lisa Louis met with activists inspired by her example.

 

The Pelicot trial has prompted soul-searching in France about updating the existing definition of rape, which does not include verbal consent.

Some 35 of the 51 defendants have argued that Dominique Pelicot tricked them by insinuating that his wife knew what would happen and was in on the plan.

President Emmanuel Macron has said he is in favor of updating the law, even though France rejected a proposed EU directive that would have included consent in rape statutes in 2023.

According to French pollsters, the public overwhelmingly supported the directive.

French law stipulates that rape is a sexual act committed on someone using "violence, coercion, threat or surprise." With no mention of a partner's consent, the law puts the burden on prosecutors to prove a suspect's intentions.

There is currently a bill before the French parliament to change the law, which its supporters are hopeful will pass in 2025.

In Paris, a new helpline has been launched to address the growing concerns over drug-facilitated sexual assault.

The Reference Centre on Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault, or CRAFS, its acronym in French, coincided with the Pelicot rape trial.

This trial has increased awareness regarding the role of drugs in sexual abuse cases.

Since its inception, CRAFS has received numerous calls from both victims and healthcare professionals seeking guidance on recognizing and responding to drug-related abuse, said Leila Chaouachi, a doctor who founded the service.

What are the warning signs? They feel they don't have enough training," she said.

The helpline offers essential information on symptoms like drowsiness, nausea, and amnesia and provides guidance on the next steps, including the use of drug detection kits.

• 1973 The Pelicots marry
• 2011 to 2020 Dominique Pelicot and men he recruited online rape Gisele Pelicot multiple times
• September 2020 Pelicot is arrested after a security guard catches him filming up the skirts of women.
• November 2020 Investigators tell Gisele Pelicot about the videos they have found on her husband’s electronics
• Early September 2024: The trial begins in Avignon, France.
• September 2024: Dominique Pelicot, now Gisele's ex-husband, confesses to the crime of drugging and raping Gisele over a nine-year period.
• September 2024: Gisele Pelicot gives her first testimony, describing the abuse and calling for societal change.
• November 2024: Gisele Pelicot delivers her final statement, condemning the "cowardice" of the accused and calling for a change in society's attitude towards rape.
• November 2024: The trial continues with final arguments from prosecutors and defense teams.
• December 19, 2024: The verdict is expected to be delivered.

Gisele Pelicot has become a feminist icon for speaking out and rejecting the idea that rape victims should be ashamed. The trial has sparked widespread debate and protests about sexual violence in French society.

Gisele Pelicot, 72, met her husband as a teenager and they married in 1973. They divorced briefly in the early 2000s for financial reasons, but remained living together and remarried after a few years.

Investigators have presented evidence that he took advantage of anti-anxiety and sleeping pills that he and his wife were prescribed to start drugging her and raping her himself, while they were still living in Paris before retirement.

In 2011, the couple retired to the village of Mazan in southeastern France. Pelicot began actively recruiting other men online to come to his home and rape his wife. His footage of the crimes was found when police arrested him for an upskirting incident in 2020.

During the abuse, the effects of the repeated drugging prompted Gisele to assume she had a serious health issue, as she was constantly tired and her hair was falling out. Her husband accompanied her to numerous doctors appointments as she sought answers to the mysterious illness.

Pelicot's co-defendants come from all variations of middle- and working-class backgrounds, and many of them have wives and partners. They include truck drivers, an IT specialist, and a journalist. One of them is accused not of assaulting Gisele Pelicot, but of having followed Dominique Pelicot's advice for raping his own wife, whom Pelicot also assaulted. A 52nd defendant died of cancer before the trial's completion. Some 20 further suspects were not able to be identified by police by the start of the trial.

Pelicot has confessed to the crimes. Many of his co-defendants have argued that they were under the impression that they were indulging in the couple's sexual fantasy or that they did not know she was unconscious. The accused face up to 20 years in prison.