Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: A French court on Thursday sentenced Dominique Pelicot, 72, the perverted former husband of mass rape case victim, his ex-wife Gisele Pelicot, to 20 years in jail, the media reported.
Pelicot was convicted of drugging and inviting dozens of strangers online for nearly a decade to rape his ex-wife, Gisele Pelicot, while she was unconscious.
Prosecutors sought a 20-year prison term for Pelicot and sentences ranging from four to 18 years for the 50 other defendants accused of raping the aged woman while she was comatose, as her then-husband recorded the grotesque crime.
During the three-month trial in the appalling case, Pelicot pleaded guilty and apologized to his family. However, many of his co-defendants denied the rape charges, claiming they thought they were participating in a consensual sex game orchestrated by the couple. Pelicot denied misleading these men, stating they knew Gisele was unconscious and unaware of their actions.
Dominique Pelicot admitted that for years he knocked his then-wife of 50 years out with drugs so that he and strangers he recruited online could abuse her while he filmed the assaults.
The appalling ordeal inflicted over nearly a decade on Gisele Pelicot, now a 72-year-old grandmother, in what she thought was a loving marriage and her courage during the bruising and stunning trial have transformed the retired power company worker into a feminist hero of the nation, a symbol of courage and resilience.
The trial galvanized campaigners against sexual violence and spurred calls for tougher measures to stamp out rape culture, the media reported.
Dominique Pelicot and 49 other men were tried in the southern French city of Avignon for aggravated rape and attempted rape.
The woman victim bravely waived her right to anonymity and demanded that the disturbing videos of the abuse be shown in court. She wanted to encourage other women to speak out against similar experiences. The trial has triggered protest rallies around France in support of Gisele, who displayed remarkable courage, staring down her abusers and refuting claims that she was a willing participant.
“I’ve decided not to be ashamed. I’ve done nothing wrong,” she testified. “They are the ones who must be ashamed.”
Delivering the sentence, the presiding judge of the criminal court in Avignon, Roger Arata, said Dominique Pelicot will not be eligible for parole until he has served two-thirds of his sentence.
The court also convicted all other 50 defendants – aged 27 to 74 – in the French mass rape trial, with no acquittals. They were sentenced to between 3 and 20 years.