A 72-year-old French man, Dominique Pelicot, has been sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for repeatedly drugging his then-wife and inviting strangers to rape the woman while she was unconscious in France.
Pelicot was sentenced following his confession during a historic mass trial involving 51 men who participated in the nine-year attacks against the 71-year-old Gisèle Pelicot, 71.
The court sentenced Pelicot on Thursday after pleading guilty to all the charges, admitting to having mixed sedatives into the food and drink of Gisele, so he could sexually assault her.
All of the men were found guilty of at least one offence, with nearly all convicted of rape, after a trial which has shocked France and made headlines around the world.
The defendants, including the victim’s former husband, have been sentenced to a total of more than 400 years with the jail term handed down to Dominique Pelicot being the maximum available for aggravated rape in France.
The high-profile case led women in France and other countries to join demonstrations in solidarity with Ms Pelicot – who waived her right to anonymity during the trial as she insisted it was for perpetrators to feel “shame” and not victims.
The mother-of-three, who arrived at the court in Avignon smiling today as she was welcomed by her supporters, looked at each defendant directly as they were found guilty.
She had earlier told reporters she would speak after the verdicts had been delivered. Her supporters had shouted “justice for Gisele” and applauded her as she made her way to the courthouse.
