Main suspect Dominique Pelicot found guilty of all charges

French judges: main suspect guilty of all charges

The court has started and immediately rules that the main suspect Dominique Pelicot is guilty of all charges, including rape. He was also found guilty of drugging his then wife and it was deemed proven that he recruited men to rape her.

It is not yet known what his sentence will be. Justice has demanded 20 years in prison.

There will be two rounds, the judge explained. First the suspects will hear whether they have been found guilty or not, in the second round they will hear their sentence.

Main suspect Dominique Pelicot takes a seat

Main suspect Dominique Pelicot takes a seat in the dock. He leans on his walking stick and wears a gray jacket, writes the French BFM TV. Other suspects also take their place one by one.

He was sentenced to 20 years in prison, the highest requirement. He has already made a full confession. He invented and organized the rapes of his then wife. In the trial he mentioned, among other things, his childhood traumas as an explanation for his behavior.

Lots of press at the door of the courtroom, hearing has not yet started

There is a lot of press in front of the courtroom door. No cameras are allowed inside. The doors are still open and the hearing has not yet started.

One of the suspects said goodbye to his partner in the hall, reporter Mattijs van de Wiel saw. That person takes into account that he will soon go to prison.

The 51 men on trial are between 26 and 72 years old. These are men from all kinds of backgrounds. There is a firefighter, a bricklayer, a gardener, a prison guard and a journalist. Many of the men have a wife or partner, some also have children. Most have never been in contact with the law.

Gisèle Pelicot arrived at the court

Gisèle Pelicot has arrived at the court, surrounded by journalists and supporters. She was cheered and applauded by those present. Images show that there is enormous interest from the press.

Some of the suspects arrive at the court

The suspects who are still at large, 31 in total, also arrived via the sidewalk and main entrance. They have their faces covered, so everyone knows immediately who they are. Protesters chant “rapists, we see you,” a Autovantra reporter hears.

The suspects have bags of clothes with them, because they expect that they will soon go straight to prison.

France Correspondent Frank Renout:

“In France, the first political and social consequences of the controversial Pelicot lawsuit are slowly becoming noticeable.

Even before the verdict is delivered, the case will have concrete consequences. At the end of last month, the government introduced measures. This makes it possible for victims of sexual violence to report crimes in hospitals throughout the country. Officers then arrive at the hospital.

Also will be for the time being as an experiment the costs are reimbursed for victims who have a doctor examine whether they have been drugged by their attacker.

Initiatives have also been taken in parliament. MP Sandrine Josso of the center party Modem recently led a parliamentary investigation into sexual violence and drugging. Last year she herself filed a report against a fellow politician who drugged her with MDMA. He wanted to rape her, but she was able to escape in time.”

Reporter Mattijs van de Wiel at the court

“There are many supporters here, supporters of Gisèle Pelicot. There is a banner on the old city wall of Avignon that says ‘Thank you Gisèle’. People are grateful to her for making sexual violence a topic of discussion by making the case public. That she said that the shame must switch sides.

Groups of women stand outside the court with signs saying: shame on the rapists. They also sang, shame must change from them. They are very sorry that the suspects have not collectively taken responsibility. They also point out the importance of the process. France, they say, has seen that anyone can be a rapist – it can be a brother, an uncle. It is a systemic problem that has been exposed through this process.

Gisèle Pelicot’s children have just arrived. Everyone started clapping. We now have to wait for Pelicot’s arrival. She will no doubt be applauded.”

The judges will make their ruling from 9:30 am

The verdict will start at 9:30 am. It is not clear in what order the five judges will make their ruling. When it came to sentencing, they started with her then husband. This was followed by the sentencing demands of the co-suspects.

The sentencing requirements and a confession

At the end of November, all 51 suspects received their sentence. Between 4 and 20 years in prison were demanded. The main suspect, Dominique Pelicot, has been sentenced to twenty years in prison, the maximum sentence for rape. In addition, the prosecutor also demanded ten years of supervision. Experts rated him as “very dangerous”. In September, Dominique Pélicot confessed to drugging and raping his own wife.

Some of the suspects did not do so and deny it. Some say they were pressured by Dominique Pélicot, others say they thought it was a fantasy of the woman. Dominique Pélicot says that all the men who raped his wife were aware and that they too are rapists.

Justice accuses all men of sexual violence. To determine the severity of the punishment requirements, each suspect was assessed based on what they did, for example whether they already had a criminal record and whether they returned to the Pelicots’ house more often.

Gisèle Pelicot about her ex-husband: ‘I can’t look him in the eye’

At the end of October, Gisèle Pelicot was given the space and time to talk in front of suspects and the public for the first time. It was an emotional testimony. “I can’t look him in the eye, it’s too hard,” she said.

“You were someone you could trust. We laughed and cried together. We celebrated birthdays and Christmas together. How could you betray me like that?”

Gisèle Pelicot then received applause after the hearing:

A look back at the case so far

At the beginning of September, the trial began against the man who allegedly drugged his wife for years so that more than seventy men could rape her. That woman was Gisèle Pelicot (72). She was married to suspect Dominique Pelicot for about fifty years.

The rape case came to light when the husband was caught by a supermarket security guard in September 2020. He made sculptures under women’s skirts. When police examined his phone and computer, thousands of photos and videos were found showing a drugged Gisèle being raped by her husband and other men. More than 70 men can be seen in those images.

“I am lying unconscious on the bed and I am being raped. These are barbaric practices,” Pelicot said during the trial, which took place in public at her request. She said that the shame should not lie with her, but with her husband and the other perpetrators.

Fifty suspects have been identified by French justice. “My world collapsed,” she said of the moment she heard from the police what had happened.