Prosecutor demands 20 years in prison for Dominique Pelicot in mass rape trial

Dominique Pelicotthe man who incited more than fifty men to rape his unconscious man womanis “fully responsible” for his actions, a French prosecutor told the court after requesting the maximum 20-year prison sentence.

Public prosecutor Laure Chabaud told the crowded court in Avignon, southern France, on Monday that the sentence would be “long” but “not enough given the seriousness of these acts.”

“There are many examples in history of criminals who are able to portray themselves in a charming light and at the same time are capable of the worst atrocities. Dominique Pelicot fits into this picture. He was an attentive husband, father and grandfather,” Chabaud said.

“He does not suffer from a mental illness, so he is fully responsible for the actions he committed. We have to wonder about the future, which looks relatively bleak. He is considered incredibly dangerous,” she added.

A huge crowd of journalists and supporters gathered in the courtroom of the Tribunal de Grande Instance in Avignon on Monday morning for the final day of oral arguments in a case that made headlines both in France and around the world.

Pelicot is accused of inciting more than 50 men to visit his home in the southern French village of Mazan and rape his wife Gisele Pelicot. Over a period of almost ten years, Dominique Pelicot used an online website and messaging platforms to search for men from a radius of approximately 25 miles. Pelicot has admitted that he habitually drugged his wife with a strong sedative before allowing strangers to sexually assault her.

Dominique Pelicot kept his eyes closed and looked at the ground during the hearing.

Beatrice Zavarro, Dominique Pelicot’s lawyer, told reporters outside the court after Monday morning’s hearing that the request was not a “surprise to us” and had been completely “predictable.”

Despite this, she said it was still “difficult” to tell a 72-year-old man like Pelicot that he might have to spend the next twenty years in prison.

Saskya Vandoorne reported in Avignon, Niamh Kennedy wrote in London.

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