Pelicot rape trial: Gisèle ‘never regretted decision to go public’ as sobbing ex-husband jailed for 20 years
Ms Pelicot’s ex-husband Dominique Pelicot admitted to drugging and raping her for almost a decade
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Courageous mass rape victim Gisèle Pelicot has said she “led this fight” for her grandchildren, after France’s most shocking mass rape case saw 51 men convicted for a total of 428 years.
Ex-husband Dominique Pelicot wept as he became one of 51 men convicted in a mass rape and sexual abuse trial involving Gisèle Pelicot, that saw her drugged and sexually assaulted over a number of years.
Her children and grandchildren were at the forefront of her mind throughout the three-month long court case in Avignon, southern France. "It’s also for them that I led this fight,” she told reporters outside the court.
“I’m thinking about all the other families affected by this case and the unrecognised victims in these stories that are often in the shadows - you share my struggle,” Ms Pelicot added. She “never regretted” making the decision to waive her anonymity.
Dominique Pelicot has been jailed for the maximum term of 20 years. He previously admitted that for years, he drugged his wife so he and strangers could abuse her while he filmed it.
Prosecutors had requested sentences totalling 652 years, but the sentences handed out by judges came up 224 years short of this.
‘Mr Everyman’: Who are the 51 men who sexually abused Gisèle Pelicot?
‘Mr Everyman’: Who are the 51 men who sexually abused Gisèle Pelicot?
The abusers and rapists - ranging from their 20s to the their 70s - have been dubbed ‘The Everyman’
Court sketch shows Gisèle Pelicot after trail
‘You’ll die like a dog’: Dominique Pelicot’s daughter screams at him as rapist claims he never abused her
Dominique Pelicot’s daughter screams that he ‘will die alone like a dog’
Dominique Pelicot refuses to admit that he drugged his then-20-year-old daughter Caroline Dorian despite being found guilty at trial
Scholz praised Gisèle Pelicot
German chancellor Olaf Scholz has praised the courage of Gisèle Pelicot after her former husband and 50 accomplices were charged for her rape.
“The shame must change sides. Thank you, Gisele Pelicot! You courageously went from anonymity to a public figure and fought for justice. You gave women around the world a strong voice. The shame always lies with the perpetrator,” he said.
How Gisèle Pelicot shamed ‘Mr Everyman’ during the rape trial which shocked the world
How Gisèle Pelicot shamed ‘Mr Everyman’ during the rape trial which shocked the world
The 72-year-old’s simple message - that she and other victims of sexual abuse have no reason to feel ashamed - has inspired conversations about rape culture in France and across the globe, Crime Correspondent Amy-Clare Martin writes
Gisèle Pelicot mobbed by supporters as she leaves court after mass rape trial verdict
Gisèle Pelicot mobbed by supporters as she leaves court after mass rape trial verdict
Gisèle Pelicot was swarmed by supporters as she left court after her ex-husband was jailed after being found guilty of orchestrating her horrific rape. Dominique Pelicot was sentenced to 20 years in France’s worst-ever mass rape trial, which saw 51 men convicted for a total of 428 years today (19 December), in a case which has shocked the world. Gisèle defiantly said she has “never regretted” publicly attending her rape trial, and explained that she chose to waive her right to anonymity “to ensure that society could see what was happening.”
Donald Trump? No. Gisèle Pelicot is the real Person of the Year
Donald Trump? No. Gisèle Pelicot is the real Person of the Year
It is a case that has shocked the world, but the incredible woman at the heart of it has revealed uncomfortable truths, says Laura Bates. Her bravery has forced us to recognise that men commit violence against women every single day and that such violence is not committed by 'monsters', but by normal seeming men
ICYMI: Crowd outside court chant 'Shame on the justice system’
Crowds outside the court were chanting “shame on the justice system” as some of the sentences were read out.
There is dismay among many outside the court on the length of some of the sentences - which are mostly shorter than prosecutors had demanded.
Prosecutors had demanded sentences of 652 years, but judges issued total sentences of 428 years.
Christelle Vidaller, 35, has been waiting outside the court since 9am. She told Reuters news agency that she was disappointed with the sentences.
“It’s a historical trial, we were expecting historical sentences,” she told Reuters.
Watch: Celebration outside French court as guilty verdicts announced in Gisele Pelicot mass rape case
Comment | Gisele Pelicot’s ‘descent into hell’ shows once again why women are so furious
The phrase “angry woman” is bandied around as some kind of insult; spat out in the same breath as “angry feminist” or “bra burner” or “calm down, dear”. We’re meant to feel ashamed by the accusation, timid, cowed. We’re meant to retreat into ourselves and shut up. Well, not anymore.
Angry woman? You bet. We are livid. I, personally, am baseball-bat-to-a-glass-window furious that in the past week alone, we’ve seen headlines describing an incredibly courageous woman – Gisele Pelicot – whose life as she knew it disintegrated in 2020 when she discovered her husband had been drugging her and inviting strangers to rape her for years in her own home, while filming it – as “taking public revenge on men”. It’s not revenge to tell the truth. It is bravery. It is justice.
Victoria Richards writes:
Gisele Pelicot’s ‘descent into hell’ shows once again why women are so furious
Angry? You bet. The real question is: Why aren’t you?