A French man has been sentenced to 20 years in jail for drugging, raping, and inviting others to rape his wife. Dominique Pelicot and 50 other men faced trial over the drugging and raping of Pelicot’s now ex-wife Gisèle over the course of a decade.
Pelicot pleaded guilty to the charges and has received the maximum sentence.
All 50 other men have been found guilty of charges including rape, attempted rape, and sexual assault.
Dominique Pelicot
In November 2020, Dominique Pelicot was investigated by police after he was caught filming up women’s skirts at a supermarket in southeastern France, where he and his wife lived.
Police allege that when they searched Dominique’s computer, they found a folder labelled “abuses” containing over 20,000 images of an unconscious woman being raped by many men.
When Gisèle Pelicot, his then-wife, was brought in for questioning, she told police she had no memory of the rapes and did not recognise any of the men in the images shown to her.
Trial
Dominique pleaded guilty to all the charges against him, which include aggravated rape, drugging, and violating the privacy of his wife.
He told the court he put sleeping pills into his wife’s evening meals to sedate her before raping her.
While Giséle was unconscious, men that Dominique met on an online forum were invited to the couple’s home to rape her.
His lawyer described his actions as “a form of addiction,” and told reporters that Dominique “is ashamed”.
Under French law, complainants have the right to remain private during a trial. Instead, Gisèle insisted on “complete, total publicity”.
She sat in court while videos of her assaults were played, and the men accused of raping her gave testimony.
Many pleaded not guilty, alleging they were misled by Dominique into believing they were participating in a consensual role-playing scenario with Gisèle pretending to be asleep.
Judgment
All men on trial were found guilty.
Dominique received the maximum sentence, which had been recommended by prosecutors, of 20 years. The other men were sentenced to prison terms between five and 15 years.
A man named Jean-Pierre Marechal, who said he met and was inspired by Dominique online, was found guilty of drugging and raping his own wife at the same trial. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Dominique was also found guilty of the attempted rape of this man’s wife.
Reaction
The Pelicot trial has sparked a national discussion about rape in France.
The French Government has launched an awareness campaign to help people understand the signs of being drugged.
France’s Justice Minister has also begun discussions about expanding the country’s legal definition of rape, which lacks clarity around consent.
Protesters have gathered outside the court every day to support Gisèle. Today, they cheered when Dominique was found guilty.
Comment
“I would like to express my profound gratitude towards everyone who has supported me… Your messages have deeply moved me… When I opened the doors to this trial that began on September 2, I wanted all of society to be a witness to the debates that took place here. I have never regretted that decision.”
Gisèle Pelicot’s statement outside court.
