French mass rape prosecutors are seeking maximum punishment for Gisèle Pelicot’s ex-husband

AVIGNON -A huge rape case France entered a new phase on Monday as prosecutors began drafting the verdicts and sentences they want for dozens of men accused of raping Gisèle Pelicot while she was drugged and rendered unconscious by her husband.

After hearings that stretched over nearly three months, the trial of 51 suspects in the southern city of Avignon is starting to run out. Pelicot’s courage during the harrowing procedure has made her an icon, even outside France, for campaigners fighting against sexual violence.

The Public Prosecution Service first focused on Dominique Pelicot on Monday, the man to whom 71-year-old Gisèle Pelicot was married for almost 50 years and who, according to her, a loving, caring husband.

But him has admitted that for years he mixed tranquilizers into her food and drinks so he could rape her and also invite dozens of strangers he recruited online to rape her as well.

Prosecutor Laure Chabaud asked the jury for the highest possible sentence for aggravated rape – twenty years – against the victim’s now ex-husband. Dominique Pelicot, who turns 72 this week, stared at the ground, one hand on the handle of his cane, as the prosecutor spoke.

“Twenty years between the four walls of a prison,” she said. “It’s both a lot and not enough.”

The court is expected to rule before December 20.

Gisèle Pelicot, who waived her right to anonymity, insisted that graphic footage filmed by her husband of the rapes be presented in court, showing her to be unconscious, inert and audibly snoring.

“This woman was you, Madame Gisèle Pelicot, an ordinary woman,” said prosecutor Jean-François Mayet, turning to her, praising her courage and her desire to shamelessly change sides so that it affects the rapists and not their victims.

Noting that Monday also marked the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, he said France “has a long road ahead for our society to change its view of rape culture.”

Gisèle Pelicot sat quietly, sometimes staring at the ceiling, as prosecutors detailed how Dominique Pelicot collected and carefully cataloged a library of 20,000 photos and videos of the abuse that spanned nearly a decade. The evidence he kept on hard drives, memory sticks and phones led investigators to dozens of the men he recruited, although about two dozen others have not been identified.

All but one suspect is on trial for aggravated rape. In previous testimony, she said they treated her “like a rag doll, like a garbage bag.”

‘When did they ask about Madame Pelicot’s consent? Not before. Not during,” Mayet said.

Members of the public hoping to witness the proceedings and queuing outside shouted at some defendants as they entered the courthouse: “We recognize you” and “Shame on you.” Banners that activists hung opposite the building read: “20 years for each of them” and “a rape is a rape.”

Gisèle Pelicot was greeted outside with cheers and applause.

“We feel like it will do her good. And it does us good too, because she really makes a difference when it comes to feminism,” says Chantal Crémont, a supporter who came from western France.

“It’s revolutionary in a way. When she says shame changes sides, it really does. She stands as a victim and turns the tables,” she said. ‘It’s very important.’

Dominique Pelicot previously tearfully acknowledged in court that he is guilty of the charges against him. He said all his co-defendants understood exactly what they were doing when he invited them to his home in Provence between 2011 and 2020 to have sex with his unconscious and unknowing wife, who divorced him after learning what he had done to her. He had no trouble finding dozens of men to participate.

In previous weeks of testimony, many suspects told the court that they could not imagine Dominique Pelicot drugging his wife, and that they were told she was a willing participant acting out a kinky fantasy.

Dominique Pelicot’s lawyer, Béatrice Zavarro, said prosecutors’ request for the highest possible sentence against him was justified “given the seriousness of the facts and the seriousness of the acts of which he is accused.”

“It is no surprise that I ask for twenty years, and I personally expected that. But it is still a shocking and severe punishment for a man who will be 72 in a few days,” she said.