Dominic Pellicote sentenced to 20 years in prison
A panel of five judges has sentenced Dominic Pellicote to 20 years in prison.
Prosecutors asked that he get the maximum sentence because he admitted that, for nearly a decade, he drugged his wife of 50 years so she and strangers he recruited online could abuse her while filming the attacks .
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All 51 people were found guilty in the trial
The panel of five judges found all 51 people on trial guilty, Reuters reports.
Fifty other people were charged along with Dominic Pellicott, most of whom denied the charges. The French court found 47 of them guilty of rape, two of attempted rape and two of sexual assault.
A man is on the run and is being tried in absentia.
The presiding judge told the court that the sentence would be announced after all the verdicts were pronounced.
Those on trial include a man who not only raped Gisele Pellicott but repeatedly abused his own wife with the help of Dominique Pellicott.
BFMTV is reporting that a panel of five judges has also found this man guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced him to 12 years in prison.
So far 20 people have been found guilty in the trial
The panel of judges, along with Dominic Pellicote, also announced sentencing for the first batch of 20 of the 50 co-defendants in the case, Reuters reports.
The 20 men accused by Pellicot of recruiting him to drug and rape his then-wife for almost a decade were all found guilty of rape by a court in Avignon on Thursday.
The presiding judge told the court that the sentence would be announced after all the verdicts were pronounced.
Dominic Pellicote sentenced to 20 years in prison
A panel of five judges has sentenced Dominic Pellicote to 20 years in prison.
Prosecutors asked that he get the maximum sentence because he admitted that, for nearly a decade, he drugged his wife of 50 years so she and strangers he recruited online could abuse her while filming the attacks .
Fifty people are on trial in addition to Dominique Pellicott, including a man who did not rape Gisele Pellicott but repeatedly abused his own wife with Dominique Pellicott’s help.
More than 20 other suspects are still at large because investigators did not manage to identify them before the mass trial began.
Prosecutors have requested 10 to 18 years in prison against 49 defendants charged with aggravated rape. One of the accused is absconding and is being tried in his absence.
Another accused – who is facing a lesser charge of molestation – faces up to four years in prison.
Reuters reports that the court has found at least 20 defendants guilty of rape.
German daily newspaper, Die Tageszeitung, paid tribute to Gisele Pellicote on its cover today, with the word “Mercy” accompanying her photo.
The trial involved approximately 165 media outlets – including 76 foreign ones – reportedly seeking accreditation.
French TV cameras outside the courtroom in Avignon captured screams of joy as those gathered there – many of whom were supporters of Gisele Pellicot and feminist campaigners – learned that Dominique Pellicot had been found guilty of the aggravated rape of Gisele Pellicot. Has been found.
Dominic Pellicote convicted of aggravated rape
A five-judge panel has convicted Dominique Pellicott of the aggravated rape of Gisele Pellicott.
He was also convicted of making and distributing photographs of Gisele Pellicot.
Dominic Pellicott was also found guilty of making and distributing sexual photographs of his adult daughter Caroline and his sons’ wives. The sentence has to follow.
Before the verdict, those accused along with Dominic Pellicote were given a chance to give final statements on Monday. About half of them simply said they had “nothing to add”.
However, about 15 of them apologized to Gisele Pellicot.
Cedric Gee, 51, said, “It is actually your body that I have committed this rape with.”
Romain V., 63, one of four accused who responded six times to an invitation posted online by Dominique Pellicott, declared, “I apologize to Mrs. Pellicott, I regret it and I apologize to her.”
Another accused, who visited the Pellicott family home six times, Jerome V., 46, said over the weekend that “whatever sentence” he will be given, he will not appeal “out of respect for the victim” so that she does not have to endure the consequences. “A new trial. The prosecution has requested a 16-year prison sentence for him.
Who are the people accused of the rape and assault of Gisele Pellicote?
A total of 51 people are on trial in Avignon accused of the rape and assault of Dominique Pellicot. They have very little in common; They range in age from 26 to 74, some have children and some have been convicted of other crimes.
Their ranks include a nurse, a journalist, a prison warden, a councillor, a soldier, lorry drivers and agricultural workers.
Here’s some more information about those expected to be sentenced today:
angelic chrysaphis
Gisele Pellicot’s children, David, a sales manager, Caroline, a communications manager, and Florian, an actor, have arrived at the court with her to hear the verdict.
Dominic Pellicote – described as the worst by his family Sexual predator in recent French history – used to call himself a family man. He loved cycling through the French countryside on Sundays, taking his son and grandson to football matches and he was good at celebrating birthdays.
“My parents had a talent for throwing surprise birthday parties for us,” said their eldest son, David. “All our friends will be there, and my friends will say how lucky I am to have such a father. Everyone at those parties admired him – my friends looked up to him as a role model. He danced with my friends, he sat for dinner with my friends and today those friends do not understand what is happening.”
Angelique Chrisafis has this piece that delves deeper into the horrific case that has shocked the world:
Gisele Pellicotte arrives in court
angelic chrysaphis
Gisele Pellicotte arrived at court and was greeted with thunderous applause. She is wearing a silk scarf, which was sent to her as a sign of solidarity by an Australian organization working to raise awareness of sexual assaults on older women.
Some photos from Avignon this morning, where Giselle’s supporters and women’s rights campaigners have gathered outside the courtroom ahead of the verdict:
‘It’s Gisele’s name that will be remembered’
Since September, people have been lining up outside the courtroom in Avignon, braving cold, rain and bitter winds to cheer on Gisele Pellicot.
Pellicott, 72, a former logistics manager and grandmother of seven, has become a feminist hero after insisting that the trial be held in public to raise awareness of drug-induced rape and abuse. “It’s not a shame for us, it’s for them,” he said.
Her courage has helped inspire a global conversation on sexual violence and sparked debate in France over whether the legal definition of rape should be expanded to include specific mention of consent.
My colleague Angelique Chrisafis has this piece on Gisele Pellicote’s extraordinary bravery and resilience:
angelic chrysaphis
Before dawn, members of the public gathered outside the courtroom to support Gisele Pellicote in her historic rape trial.
“Justice for Gisele,” shouted a feminist campaigner, holding a placard saying the accused men should be in jail for Christmas.
“Thank you Gisele for your bravery,” another sign read.
What decisions are expected?
The panel of five judges is making its decision by secret ballot, which requires a majority vote to convict and sentence those found guilty.
He is expected to give Dominic Pellicott, a 72-year-old retired electrician and estate agent, a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.
Prosecutors had sought to impose the maximum sentence in his case, with prosecutor Laure Chabaud telling the court: “Twenty years between the four walls of prison. It is both enough and not enough.”
Fifty other accused have also been convicted, most of whom deny the charges, facing sentences ranging from 10 to 18 years for one accused of aggravated rape and four years for one accused of sexual assault. Is. A man is on the run and is being tried in absentia.
My colleague Kim Wilshere has a look at what to expect today:
Punishment to be given in Pellicote rape case
Good morning, good morning.
For the past three and a half months, all eyes have been on a courtroom in Avignon, France, where 51 people are facing trial in a horrific gang rape case.
At the center of the case is Dominique Pellicott, who admitted that he regularly mixed sleeping pills and anti-anxiety drugs into his wife’s mashed potatoes, ice cream, coffee or beer and invited dozens of men to visit the couple’s home. Did. She was raped while she was unconscious in a village in Provence.
His actions horrified people throughout France and around the world. But in an extraordinary move, his wife, Gisele Pellicot, waived her anonymity and insisted that the trial be open to the press and public. Her incredible bravery turned her into a feminist icon, credited with breaking the shame that typically accompanies sexual violence.
The trial is expected to end this morning with verdicts being handed down for 51 people. Follow along as we bring you all the latest developments.