Gisèle Pelicot's ex-husband sentenced to 20 years for rape.

Photo: AP

On Thursday, a court in France sentenced Dominique Pelicot, the ex-husband of Gisèle Pelicot, to a maximum 20 years in prison for drugging and raping her, as well as allowing other men to assault her while she was unconscious, in an abuse that lasted nearly a decade. The sentence was handed down after Pelicot was found guilty on all charges. At 72 years old, this could mean that he will spend the rest of his life in prison. The verdict was delivered by Judge Roger Arata in the court of Avignon.

Judge Arata read the verdicts one by one, declaring each defendant, including Pelicot, guilty of aggravated rape against Gisèle Pelicot. Gisèle was seated in the courtroom, facing the defendants as the guilty verdicts were read out.

The case has deeply shaken France in recent months. Dominique Pelicot admitted that for years he drugged his wife, whom he had been married to for 50 years, to knock her out. This allowed him and strangers he recruited online to abuse her while filming the assaults.

Gisèle Pelicot, now 72 years old, was subjected to horrific abuse over nearly a decade, during which she believed she was in a loving marriage. Her courage throughout the trial has made her a symbol of the feminist movement in France. The trial, which lasted more than three months, has galvanized campaigners against sexual violence and led to calls for tougher measures to eliminate rape culture.

Dominique Pelicot and 49 other men were tried in Avignon for aggravated rape and attempted rape, facing up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Prosecutors asked for the maximum penalty for Pelicot, and sentences ranging from 10 to 18 years for the others, with a four-year sentence for one defendant who was convicted of aggravated sexual assault.

Of the 50 men, only one was acquitted but found guilty of aggravated sexual assault.

The defendants were all accused of participating in Pelicot’s disturbing rape and abuse fantasies, which were acted out in the couple’s retirement home in Mazan and other locations.

Dominique Pelicot testified that he drugged his wife by hiding tranquilizers in her food and drink, knocking her unconscious for hours so he could abuse her. One of the defendants was not on trial for assaulting Gisèle Pelicot but for drugging and raping his own wife, with help from Pelicot, who was also accused of raping the other man’s wife.

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The five judges voted by secret ballot on their verdicts and sentences, with a majority vote required for both conviction and sentencing.

Campaigners against sexual violence are hoping for exemplary prison terms, viewing the trial as a possible turning point in the fight against rape culture and the use of drugs to subdue victims. Gisèle Pelicot’s bravery in waiving her anonymity as a survivor and pushing for the shocking evidence — including videos — to be heard in open court has sparked national conversations in France and beyond. These conversations have raised awareness about protecting women and the role men can play in supporting that effort.

“Men are starting to talk to women — their girlfriends, mothers, and friends — in ways they hadn’t before,” said Fanny Foures, 48, of the feminist group Les Amazones, who helped show support for Gisèle Pelicot around Avignon before the verdict. “It was awkward at first, but now real dialogues are happening,” Foures added. “Some women are realizing, maybe for the first time, that their ex-husbands violated them, or that someone close to them committed abuse. And men are starting to reckon with their own behavior or complicity. It’s heavy, but it’s creating change.”

Police then found a vast library of images documenting years of abuse, totaling more than 20,000 photos and videos, stored in folders marked “abuse,” “her rapists,” and “night alone.”

Police subsequently found his library of homemade images documenting years of abuse inflicted on his wife — more than 20,000 photos and videos in all, stored on computer drives and catalogued in folders marked “abuse,” “her rapists,” “night alone” and other titles. The abundance of evidence led police to the other defendants. In the videos, investigators counted 72 different abusers, but weren’t able to identify them all. Although some of the accused — including Dominique Pelicot — acknowledged that they were guilty of rape, many didn’t, even in the face of video evidence. The hearings sparked wider debate in France about whether the country’s legal definition of rape should be expanded to include specific mention of consent. Some defendants argued that Dominique Pelicot’s consent covered his wife, too. Some sought to excuse their behavior by insisting that they hadn’t intended to rape anyone when they responded to the husband’s invitations to come to their home. Some laid blame at his door, saying he misled them into thinking they were taking part in consensual kink.

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