A French court on Thursday found all 51 defendants guilty in the drug and rape case that horrified the world and turned victim Gisele Pellicot into an inspiring symbol of courage and resilience.
Pellicott’s 50-year-old ex-husband, Dominic Pellicott, pleaded guilty to repeatedly drugging and raping her over nearly a decade and then offering her unconscious body for sex to dozens of strangers he met online , while video recording the abuse.
As requested by prosecutors, a panel of five judges sentenced him to the maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The court handed down generally shorter sentences than the four to 18 years sought by the prosecution for the other defendants, almost all of whom were accused of raping Gisele Pellicot, who lay in a coma.
In total, the court found 47 defendants guilty of rape, two guilty of attempted rape and two guilty of sexual assault.
Supporters of the victim cheered outside the court in the southern French city of Avignon as news of the first guilty verdict broke.
Many of the accused had denied the allegations, saying they thought it was a consensual sex game arranged by the couple and arguing that it was not rape if the husband consented.
Dominic Pellicote, 72, denied misleading people, saying he knew exactly what he was doing. During testimony he said, “I am a rapist like everyone else in this room.”
Gisele, also 72, waived her right to anonymity during the trial and demanded that horrifying videos of the serial abuse, which were recorded by her ex-husband, be seen in court, she said. She hopes it will help other women speak out.
The trial has sparked protest rallies across France in support of Gisele, and has inspired soul-searching, including debate over updating France’s rape law, which currently makes no mention of consent in sex. Should be included.
Giselle stared down her abusers with determination in the packed courtroom day after day, scoffing at any claim that she might have been a willing participant.
“I’ve decided not to be embarrassed, I’ve done nothing wrong,” she testified in October. “They should be ashamed,” he said.
terrible mystery
Pellicot’s children, David, Caroline and Florian, accompanied their mother to the court to hear the verdict. The siblings have forcefully spoken out against their father and rejected their appeal for forgiveness.
The respondents come from all walks of life – lorry drivers, soldiers, firefighters, security guards, agricultural workers, a supermarket worker, a journalist and the unemployed.
The youngest suspect was just 22 years old when he entered Pellicott’s bedroom, while the oldest was 70 years old. Many had children and were in relationships. Most lived within 50 kilometers of the picturesque village of Pelicot, Mazan, which is nestled in the vineyards below Mont Ventoux.
This matter came to light only in 2020, when Dominic was caught trying to take pictures up the skirts of women in a supermarket. Police found more than 20,000 photos and videos on his computer drive, exposing the horrific secrets he had hidden from his ex-wife for a decade.
Police believe that 72 people went to the home to rape and abuse Giselle, but they were unable to identify all of them.
Pellicott admitted that he had mixed powerful tranquilizers into his wife’s food and coffee which kept her asleep for hours. Gisele said she was worried she was developing Alzheimer’s or a brain tumor due to her memory loss.
She says she hopes the huge interest in her case will help other women who have suffered sexual abuse, and deflects praise for her bravery in showing her pain to the world.
“It’s not courage. It’s a determination to change things,” she told the court in October. “This is not just my fight, but the fight of all rape victims.”