A court in Avignon, France, has found a man and 50 others guilty of drugging and raping a woman over a period of nearly a decade. The ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, received the maximum sentence of 20 years.
Gisèle Pelicot arrived at the courthouse in Avignon on Dec. 19, 2024, ahead of the verdict in the trial of her ex-husband, and 50 others, accused of drugging her and orchestrating multiple rapes over nearly a decade. Her ex-husband was sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment for drugging and raping her and allowing other men to rape her while she was unconscious, in abuse that lasted nearly a decade. This was the maximum possible under French law.
He was declared guilty of all charges against him. At age 72, it could mean that he spends the rest of his life in prison. Roger Arata, the lead judge of the court in the southern French city Avignon, told Pelicot to stand for the sentencing. After it was delivered, he sat back down and cried. Arata read out verdicts one after the other against Pelicot and the 50 other men tried in the shocking case that stunned France and spurred a national reckoning about the blight of rape culture. “You are therefore declared guilty of aggravated rape on the person of Mme. Gisèle Pelicot,” the judge said as he worked his way through names on the list. Gisèle Pelicot was seated on one side of the courtroom, facing the defendants and sometimes nodding her head as verdicts were announced. Delivering the guilty verdicts and sentences took Arata just over an hour. Of the 50 accused of rape, just one was acquitted but was found guilty of aggravated sexual assault. Another man was also found guilty on the sexual assault charge that he was tried for — meaning all 51 of the defendants were found guilty in one way or another. This courtroom sketch by Valentin Pasquier shows Gisèle Pelicot, left, and her ex-husband Dominique Pelicot, right, during his trial at the courthouse in Avignon, southern France, on Sept. 17, 2024. In a side room where family members of the defendants watched the proceedings on television screens, some burst into tears and gasped as the sentences were revealed. Protesters gathered outside the courthouse followed the proceedings on their phones
RAPE FRANCE COURTS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SENTENCING
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Gisèle Pelicot speaks after ex-husband found guilty of rapes, sentenced to 20 years in FranceAVIGNON, France (AP) — Gisèle Pelicot said after 51 men were all found guilty Thursday in the drugging-and-rape trial that turned her into a feminist hero that the ordeal had been “very difficult” and expressed support for other victims of sexual vio
Read more »
Gisèle Pelicot Speaks After Ex-Husband Found Guilty of Rapes, Sentenced to 20 Years in FranceGisèle Pelicot, who was allegedly drugged by her now former husband and others to be assaulted, expressed support for other victims of sexual violence after 51 men were found guilty in a shocking drugging-and-rape case that stunned France.
Read more »
Prosecutors demand maximum sentence for Gisele Pelicot's ex-husband in mammoth rape trial in FranceA mammoth rape trial in France moved into a new phase Monday with prosecutors beginning to lay out the verdicts and punishments they want for dozens of men accused of raping Gisele Pelicot while she was drugged and rendered unconscious by her husband.
Read more »
Prosecutor demands maximum sentence for Gisèle Pelicot’s ex-husband in France rape trialLaure Chabaud asks for the maximum possible penalty for aggravated rape – 20 years – against Gisèle Pelicot’s now ex-husband Dominique Pelicot
Read more »
Ex-husband of mass rape victim Gisele Pelicot set to speak in courtGisele Pelicot, subjected to mass rape organized by her husband over 10 years, on Tuesday condemned the cowardice of the dozens of men accused of abusing her who claim they didn't realize it was rape, adding France's patriarchal society must change.
Read more »
'Brutal': Convicted B.C. double killer jailed 18 years before parole eligibilityWade Cudmore, 35, was convicted of second-degree murder by a jury in the 2021 killings of Erick and Carlo Fryer.
Read more »