He drugged his wife for decades and invited other men into their home to rape her.
One of the most known people of 2024 is undoubtably Gisèle Pelicot. Since her horrific story was brought to light, it has inspired millions of people around the world, not only victims of sexual abuse but also non-victims, and she hopes her case will change French legislation regarding rape and consent. "It's time for the macho, patriarchal society that downplays the importance of rape to change," Giselle Pellico said in a statement at the trial that began on September 2, 2024, in Mazan. A few weeks ago, she was the shocking cover of German Vogue on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and we see her on the BBC list alongside other women who want this world to change, in every way possible.
Today, she got the justice she deserved. Dominique Pelicot, her ex-husband who repeatedly drugged and raped her over the course of almost a decade has been found guilty of all the charges against him. He was found guilty of raping Gisèle Pelicot and sentenced to 20 years in prison, which is the maximum sentence for the charge of aggravated rape.
However, it wasn’t only him. He would invite dozens of men he met online to their home to rape her while she was unconscious of the pills that he slipped to her drinks or food. The men were often strangers to her. Today, the court in Mazan found all 51 defendants guilty in the case. Dominique Pelicot was sentenced to 20 years in prison, the maximum sentence. The other defendants received sentences ranging from 3 to 15 years.
"Mr Pellico, you are guilty of the aggravated rape of Gisèle Pelicot," said the president of the Avignon criminal court, Roger Arata. According to reports, Dominique Pelicot will not be eligible for parole until he has served two-thirds of his sentence. At this point, it should be noted that all 51 defendants were charged with serial rape and one of them, Nicolas François, was also charged with depicting child abuse. Most of the defendants denied the charges, saying they believed it was a consensual sex game orchestrated by the couple.
According to BBC, the defendants were sentenced to sentences lower than those sought by the prosecutor at the arraignment, while Giselle's children, David and Caroline, were clearly disappointed. On December 16, Dominique Pelico begged his family to accept his "apology" and hailed Giselle's "courage". "I would like to start by saluting the courage of my ex-wife," he had told the Avignon court. "I ask her, as well as the rest of my family, to accept my apology."
Despite the severity of the crimes, nearly all of Gisèle's rapists received lenient sentences. Six will be released today, having served their time or received suspended sentences. The longest sentence, excluding Dominique's, was 15 years for Romain Vandevelde, who raped Gisèle six times, while we was aware that he was HIV positive. Jean-Pierre Marechal, who raped his own wife using Dominique's methods, was sentenced in 12 years. Gisèle's daughter, Caroline Darian, was stunned by the leniency of the sentences.
However, the sentences were not well received by a vast amount of the public. Anne-Cécile Mailfert, president of Fondation des Femmes, denounced the sentences as a "disgrace" and a systemic failure to protect victims of sexual violence.
However, what we should keep from this horror story is that Gisèle Pelicot, by appearing in public and putting a face to the victim, wants the shame to change sides. And she has already done so. She wants to fight for all those women who may never be recognized as victims of rape. Her life was destroyed as her husband of decades drugged her with pills he slipped into her food, then raped her and invited other men to molest her body. He filmed all these horrific moments, keeping a specific file with a date, name or pseudonym and pornographic title on his computer. Gisèle Pelico was raped at least 92 times, but her rage has turned into strength, voice and protection.
