A depraved husband has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of aggravated rape.
Dominique Pelicotoften referred to as “the Monster of Avignon” was also found guilty of the attempted aggravated rape of the wife of one of the co-accused and taking indecent images of his daughter, Caroline, and his daughters-in-law, Aurore and Celine.
His wife, Gisèle Pelicot, 72, who unknowingly suffered years of abuse at the hands of her husband and others, has become a heroine across the globe for her steely determination in standing up to her abusers and shining a light on misogyny and sexual abuse.
Mr Pelicot was on trial with 50 men who the prosecution alleged had raped Mrs Pelicot at the behest of her husband.
Hundreds of protesters had gathered outside of the Avignon courtroom in advance of the verdict, with many holding banners with slogans such as “Shame has changed sides. Has justice?” And « Thank you, Gisèle. »
Since the start of the trial on 2 September, Pelicot has admitted drugging his ex-wife, raping her, and inviting dozens of men to abuse her for over a decade.
Despite Mr Pelicot’s guilty plea, French law still mandates a trial to establish the truth behind an offence, unlike in the UK.
The case came to light when Pelicot was arrested in 2020 when he was caught by a security guard filming up the skirts of women with his smartphone in a supermarket in Carpentras, a town near Mazan.
Following his arrest, police seized his phone and laptop where they discovered videos recorded by Mr Pelicot of him and others raping his drugged wife.
The case sparked revulsion in France and beyond and led to soul-searching questions on the issue of consent, misogyny and the handling of rape cases.
Mrs Pelicot took the unusual but widely acclaimed decision to waive her right to anonymity and said: “I want all women who have been raped to say: Madame Pelicot did it, I can too. »
Mrs Pelicot’s daughter has been present throughout the trial and believes that she could have been a victim of her father too after photos of her were found on his electronic devices of her in underwear that she did not recognise.
She has called on her father to tell “the truth” but Mr Pelicot continues to insist that nothing “untoward” happened to her.
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