Pelicot was sentenced to the maximum 20 years in prison for drugging and raping Gisele Pelicot, now 72, by sneaking tranquilizers into her food. He also allowed over 4 dozen men to rape her while she was unconscious, AP News reports.
Gisele was raped at least 92 times by 72 other men between 2011 and 2020, acts organized by her husband. Of those, 50 individuals were identified and charged in connection with the assaults. All 51 men were found guilty, 49 guilty of rape, 1 of sexual assault and 1 of drugging and raping his own wife with drugs and assistance provided by Dominique. The other 50 defendants were handed sentences of 3 to 15 years in prison.
After the guilty verdicts were handed down to the 51 total men by an Avignon court, Gisele spoke of her "very difficult ordeal" and expressed support for other victims of sexual violence "whose stories remain untold."
“I want you to know that we share the same fight,” she said, while also expressing her "profound gratitude towards the people who supported me," adding "Your messages moved me deeply, and they gave me the strength to come back, every day, and survive through these long daily hearings. This trial was a very difficult ordeal."
“It’s also for them that I led this fight,” she said of her grandchildren. “I wanted all of society to be a witness to the debates that took place here. I never regretted making this decision. I have trust in our capacity to collectively project ourselves toward a future where all, women and men, can live in harmony, with respect and mutual understanding. Thank you.”
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