A French court has sentenced Dominique Pelicot to 20 years in prison for drugging and raping his ex-wife, Gisele Pelicot, over a period of nearly a decade. He also allowed other men to rape her.
A court in France on Thursday sentenced the ex-husband of Gisele Pelicot to a maximum 20 years of imprisonment for drugging and raping her and allowing other men to rape her while she was knocked out in a phase of abuse that lasted nearly a decade. The sentence against Dominique Pelicot was declared after he was found guilty of all charges against him. At 72, it could mean that he spends the rest of his life in prison.
A courtroom sketch by Valentin Pasquier of Gisele Pelicot and her ex-husband Dominique Pelicot during his trial at the courthouse in Avignon, southern France.Arata read out verdicts one after the other against Pelicot and 50 other men, declaring “you are therefore declared guilty of aggravated rape on the person of Mme Gisele Pelicot” as he worked his way through the first names on the list. Gisele Pelicot was seated on one side of the courtroom, facing the defendants as Arata announced one guilty verdict after another.Dominique Pelicot admitted that for years, he knocked his then wife of 50 years out with drugs so that he and strangers he recruited online could abuse her while he filmed the assaults. The appalling ordeal inflicted over nearly a decade on Gisele Pelicot, now a 72-year-old grandmother, in what she thought was a loving marriage, and her courage during the bruising and stunning trial has transformed the retired power company worker into a feminist hero of the nation. Stretching over more than three months, the trial galvanised campaigners against sexual violence and spurred calls for tougher measures to stamp out rape culture.Dominique Pelicot and 49 other men were tried in the southern French city of Avignon for aggravated rape and attempted rape. Prosecutors had asked that he get the maximum penalty and for sentences of 10 to 18 years for the others. They had also requested a four-year prison term for another defendant who was tried for aggravated sexual assaul
RAPE SEXUAL ASSAULT FRANCE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE JUSTICE
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
French Court Finds Gisèle Pelicot's Ex-Husband Guilty of Aggravated RapeA French court has found the ex-husband of Gisèle Pelicot guilty of aggravated rapes and other charges. The verdict against 72-year-old Dominique Pelicot came after a three-month trial that sparked a national conversation about sexual violence and rape culture.
Read more »
Mass rape trial prosecutors demand maximum sentence for Gisele Pelicot's former husbandThe trial of 51 men accused of raping Gisele Pelicot while she was drugged and rendered unconscious has entered its final stages.
Read more »
Gisele Pelicot's Ex-Husband and 49 Others Stand Trial for Mass RapeThe final accused in the case of Gisele Pelicot's ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, and 49 others, who drugged and raped her for nearly a decade, faced the court in Avignon. Prosecutors seek the maximum sentence of 20 years for Dominique Pelicot.
Read more »
Ashley Benefield Sentenced to 15 Years for Manslaughter in Husband's DeathManatee County court records show Circuit Judge Matt Whyte imposed a 15-year sentence on Ashley Benefield, 32, after rejecting her request for a new trial. Benefield, a former dancer and co-founder of the American National Ballet with her estranged husband Doug Benefield, was convicted of manslaughter instead of the second-degree murder charge.
Read more »
Gisele Pelicot and her ex-husband Dominique Pelicot give final statements at French mass rape trial in AvignonThe Frenchwoman and her ex-husband have given their final statements in court as the mass rape trial involving 51 men enters its final stages.
Read more »
Gisèle Pelicot's ex-husband found guilty of rapes, sentenced to 20 years in prison in FranceAt age 72, it could mean that Dominique Pelicot spends the rest of his life in prison.
Read more »