International-News

France, Gisèle Pelicot case: ex-husband sentenced to 20 years for rape will not appeal

The Pelicot case ends with 51 convictions for the rapes of Gisèle. The verdict also imposed harsh sentences on co-defendants, including Jean-Pierre M., who was sentenced to 12 years

Dominique Pelicot, sentenced last 19 December to 20 years in prison for sedating and raping his wife Gisèle for ten years, will not appeal. His lawyer, Béatrice Zavarro, announced this to France Info, confirming that Pelicot will accept the sentence, unlike at least 15 of the 50 other defendants who have decided to appeal the conviction. The trial, followed worldwide for the brutality of the crimes and the courage of the victim, ended with 51 convictions in total.

The case brought to light horrors perpetrated for years: Dominique Pelicot was found guilty of drugging his wife and having her raped by dozens of men, filming the abuse. Some 200 rapes were documented, including episodes in which Pelicot secretly recorded his wife, daughter and former daughters-in-law. The criminal court in Vaucluse imposed the maximum possible sentence for aggravated rape, with two-thirds of the sentence to be served in security. This means that Pelicot will not be eligible for sentence reductions for about 13 years and, once the two-thirds have been served, his case will be reviewed to assess the possible need for security detention, reserved for prisoners who pose a high risk of reoffending.

Among the co-defendants, none were acquitted. The sentences ranged from three to 12 years imprisonment, less than the prosecution, which had proposed a minimum of ten years. Jean-Pierre M., described as Pelicot’s ‘disciple’, was sentenced to 12 years for drugging his wife and allowing Pelicot to rape her. The prosecution had demanded 17 years in prison for him.

In total, the prosecution had asked for 652 years in prison for the 51 defendants, eventually obtaining a total of 428 years imprisonment. At the end of the trial, the 18 defendants already in custody remained in detention, while 23 immediate warrants were issued for free defendants. Three defendants will be incarcerated in medical facilities due to their medical conditions, while six were released on remand or sentence reduction grounds.

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