Dominique Pelicot has been jailed for 20 years after drugging his ex-wife Gisèle, raping her and inviting dozens of strangers to also abuse her over nearly a decade.
The 72-year-old was found guilty of all charges by a judge in Avignon in southern France, and cried in court as he was sentenced to the maximum term.
He was on trial with 50 other men – all of whom were found guilty of at least one charge, although their jail terms were less than what prosecutors had demanded.
Gisèle and her children looked emotionless as the verdicts were read out, occasionally glancing at the defendants and resting their heads against the wall.
The convictions bring to an end France’s largest ever rape trial, which over the course of three months has shocked the country and the world.
Speaking outside court following the verdicts and flanked by her family,Gisèle Pelicot, 72, said the trial had been a “very difficult ordeal”.
But she said she “never regretted” the decision to make the trial public “so society could see what was happening”.
Gisèle Pelicot’s decision to waive her automatic right to anonymity was highly unusual, and meant this trial has been held in full view of the public. French and global media followed the case with growing interest and hundreds of journalists were present in court on Thursday.
Gisèle herself attended almost every day of the trial, appearing in the same courtroom as her husband of 50 years, who she has now divorced.
Gisèle also gave her “profound” thanks to her supporters and said she had “confidence” in there being a “better future” where men and women can live in mutual respect.
In court on Thursday, Dominique Pelicot – who had already confessed to his crimes – was found guilty of aggravated rape.
He was also found guilty of the attempted aggravated rape of the wife of one of his co-accused, Jean-Pierre Marechal. Marechal – who has been described as Dominique’s “disciple” as he drugged and raped his own wife for years and invited Dominque to do the same – was jailed for 12 years.
Dominique Pelicot was also found guilty of taking indecent images of his daughter, Caroline Darian, and his daughters-in-law, Aurore and Celine.
Caroline – who was in court on Thursday – previously told the trial she felt she was the “forgotten victim” as, unlike her mother’s case, there was no record of the abuse she is convinced was inflicted on her. Dominique denied drugging and abusing his daughter.
After the verdicts, Dominique’s lawyer said her client was “somewhat dazed” by his sentence and would consider whether to appeal. He has 10 days to decide whether to do so.
Of the 50 co-defendants, 46 were found guilty of rape, two guilty of attempted rape, and two guilty of sexual assault. Several of them have already spent some years in jail as they were arrested when police conducted their initial investigation in 2021, and will therefore walk out relatively soon.
Most of the men on trial had denied that what they did was rape.
They argued they did not realise Gisèle Pelicot was unconscious and therefore did not “know” they were raping her – an argument which sparked a nationwide discussion about France’s legal definition of rape.
Their jail terms range from between three and 15 years – less than what prosecutors had demanded.
In a statement to AFP news agency, the Pelicot children said they were “disappointed” by the “low sentences”.
For almost a decade from 2011, Dominique Pelicot drugged his ex-wife Gisèle Pelicot and raped her, and recruited dozens of men online to have sex with her while she was unconscious.
His crimes were discovered in 2020, when police arrested him over a separate charge of filming up the skirts of women in a supermarket.
Police seized his devices and found thousands of videos on his laptop, with evidence of around 200 rapes carried out.
Investigators used the videos to track down his co-accused, although they were unable to identify an additional 21 men.
Dominique Pelicot admitted the charges in 2020.
The trial sparked a discussion on whether the issue of consent should be added to France’s legal definition of rape, as in other European countries.
Currently rape in France is defined as “any act of sexual penetration committed against another person by violence, constraint, threat or surprise” – meaning prosecutors must prove intent to rape.
Many of the defendants argued they did not realise Gisèle Pelicot had not consented, claiming they were “tricked” by Dominique Pelicot, and believed they were going to the couple’s house for a threesome involving a fantasy that the woman would be asleep.
The trial also shone a light on the issue of chemical submission – drug-induced sexual assault.
Most of the 50 men all come from towns and villages in a 50km (30 mile) radius of the Pelicots’ home village of Mazan.
They include firefighters, lorry drivers, soldiers, a journalist and a DJ, and have been described by defence lawyers as being “ordinary people” – earning them the nickname Monsieur-Tout-Le-Monde (Mr Everyman).
The trial also brought sexual violence against women into the spotlight in France, with many praising Gisèle Pelicot for her bravery in opening up the full details of the case to the public.
She previously said she was determined to make “shame swap sides” from the victim to the rapist – a phrase that has been repeated and used by her supporters.
Gisèle’s lawyer Stéphane Babonneau earlier told the BBC that his client did not want to be considered an icon.
But Gisèle’s message to women was that “they have a strength in them that they can’t even imagine and that they need to trust themselves,” he added. BBC