Dominique Pelicot Sentenced to 20 Years in Landmark French Rape Trial

A French court has found Gisèle Pelicot’s ex-husband and multiple other men guilty of rape after a high-profile trial in France, which revealed how she was drugged and rendered unconscious by her spouse in abuse that lasted nearly a decade.

Dominique Pelicot, 72, was found guilty after the three-month trial in the city of Avignon, which ended on Thursday.

A panel of five judges sentenced him to a maximum of 20 years in prison, as requested by prosecutors.

The landmark trial had become closely watched not just by the French public, but by people around the world, after she waived her right to anonymity and a behind-closed-doors trial. She also pushed for chilling videos of the abuse to be shown in court.

The five judges voted by secret ballot, with a majority vote required to convict. The verdicts were read out by the lead judge of the court, Roger Arata.

The trial heard that Gisèle Pelicot, 72, was completely unaware of what had happened until police launched an investigation following her husband’s arrest in September 2020, when he was charged with so-called upskirting offenses in a supermarket.