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Summary
Dominique Pelicot was convicted on all charges and sentenced to 20 years in prison for orchestrating the abuse of his ex-wife Gisèle, involving over 50 men, while 50 co-defendants were also convicted of rape, sexual assault, or attempted rape.
Dominique Pelicot has been convicted on all charges and handed the maximum 20-year prison sentence in a landmark trial that has captivated France and drawn global attention.
The court found Dominique Pelicot, along with 50 co-defendants, guilty of rape and sexual assault, marking one of the largest trials of its kind in French legal history. The verdict was announced today and convicted Dominique for also distributing pictures of Gisele.
Prosecutors had demanded the maximum sentence for Dominique Pelicot for 20 years and at least 10 years for most of the other co-defendants. Forty-nine of the co-defendants were charged with aggravated rape or attempted rape, while one faced charges of sexual assault, carrying a potential sentence of up to four years. All but one were convicted, with 47 found guilty of rape, two of attempted rape, and two of sexual assault.
The convicted co-defendants include Mohamed Rafaa, Ludovick Blemeur, Patrick Aron, Abdelali Dallal, Philippe Leleu, Nizar Hamida, Boris Moulin, Dominique Davies, Jerome Vilela, Didier Sambuchi, Simoné Mekenese, Quentin Hennebert, Cyril Beaubis, Karim Sebaoui, Redouane Azougagh, Joan Kawai, Cyprien Culieras, Mathieu Dartus, Vincent Coullet, Adrien Longeron, Hughes Malago, Jean-Luc LA, Fabien Sotton, Husamettin Dogan, Romain Vandevelde, Jean-Marc LeLoup, Andy Rodriguez, Vincent Coullet, Ahmed Tbarik, Paul-Koikoi Grovogui, Omar Douiri, Husamettin Dogan, Romain Vandevelde, Jean-Marc LeLoup, Andy Rodriguez, Abdelali Dallal, Grégory Serviol, Cedric Grassot, Cendric Venzin, Joseph Cocco, Hassan Ouamou, Redouane El Farihi, Jean Tirano, Saifeddine Ghabi, Philippe Leleu, Nizar Hamida, Boris Moulin, Dominique Davies, Jerome Vilela, Didier Sambuchi, Simoné Mekenese, Quentin Hennebert, Cyril Beaubis and others.
During the trial, held in Avignon, Dominique Pelicot admitted to drugging his ex-wife, Gisèle, by mixing sedatives into her food and drink to facilitate the rapes. He also confessed to recruiting at least 50 other men via an online chat forum to abuse her at their home in Provence for over a decade. Dominique Pelicot apologised to his family in court and acknowledged the severity of his actions.
Gisèle and Dominique Pelicot’s seemingly loving marriage concealed years of horrific abuse, as Dominique drugged Gisèle and orchestrated over 200 rapes involving over 50 men between 2011 and 2023. The abuse was uncovered in 2020 when Dominique was arrested for voyeurism, leading investigators to discover incriminating footage and messages detailing his crimes. Dominique meticulously documented the assaults, coordinated them through an illicit forum, and orchestrated men to rape Gisèle while she was unaware and incapacitated. Shocked and devastated by the revelations, Gisèle filed for divorce, changed her surname, and testified against Dominique, who admitted guilt.
The abuse came to light after Gisèle, who has since divorced Pelicot, courageously testified during the three-month trial, which began on September 2. Refusing anonymity, Gisèle declared in court, “It’s not for us to have shame,” and has since become a feminist icon in France and worldwide.
Her powerful testimony has inspired countless women to speak out against sexual violence.
