On Thursday, Dominique Pelicot, the man accused of repeatedly raping his ex-wife while she was unconscious and inviting over a reported 80 men to take part between 2011 and 2020, was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Since September, the 72-year-old has stood trial alongside 50 other defendants who were also found guilty of at least one charge in a French court today. Their sentences vary depending on how many times each man visited the Pelicot home, but were by and large less than what prosecutors had demanded, according to the BBC. The woman at the center of the case, Gisèle Pelicot, along with the three children she shared with Dominique, were reportedly "emotionless" as the verdicts were read in court.
Since the proceedings began, the case has horrified France and sent shockwaves across the world due largely in part to the abhorrent abuse inflicted upon Gisèle. The rapes were recorded by her then-husband and kept on his hard drive until they were discovered by authorities when he was arrested for taking photos up women’s skirts at a supermarket in southeastern France in 2020.
That November, while French authorities were investigating Dominique, they found a folder entitled “abuses” that contained thousands of photos and videos of him and other men—complete strangers—sexually assaulting his then-wife while she was unconscious. In total, police counted 20,000 images. Prior to the investigation, Gisèle had no idea. For nine years, Dominique was regularly drugging his wife with a number of medications, including Temesta, an anti-anxiety drug that can take effect like a sedative.
During the trial, Dominique admitted to the assaults and apologized on the stand.
“She didn’t deserve this, I recognize that,” he told the court in September. “I am a rapist just like all the others in this room. I ask my wife, my children (and) my grandchildren to accept my apologies. I regret what I did. I ask for your forgiveness, even if it is not forgivable.”
Meanwhile, the other 50 defendants—who were all charged with aggravated or attempted rape—either admitted guilt or denied it, claiming they were manipulated by Pelicot. Though they all met Dominque through a now-defunct message board called “Without their knowledge,” many of them purported that they, too, were victims in the case.
“We fell into a trap,” one man said on the stand in October. “Yes, I’m a victim.”
As for Gisèle, she told reporters outside the court that she was inspired by the strength of all those who've shared their own stories of survival in solidarity with her. Throughout the trial, hundreds of people attended the hearings in support. Her case, which she notably urged to be made public, has inspired a number of marches and rallies in France since it began making headlines. In an interview with the Guardian in November, her attorney, Stéphanne Babboneau, said: "People come up to her all the time–not just at the court, but in the street, to thank her. Some of the young women are in tears.”
“I would like to express my most profound gratitude to everyone who supported me throughout this lengthy trial," she said, addressing reporters outside the court on Thursday. "Your testimonies moved me and gave me the strength to return every day during these long days of hearings."
After thanking her children, and expressing empathy for all of the families impacted by her ex-husband's action, she addressed survivors of sexual violence: "Finally: I think of all the unrecognized victims of stories which often unfold in the shadows. I want you to know we share the same fight."
Then, she added that she has hope for the future.
“I have faith now in our capacity to carve out collectively a future where women and men can live in harmony, in respect and mutual understanding."
