- Frenchman drugged wife invited dozen of men to rape her, non-consensually.
- In the final hearing, the French court handed him a maximum of 20 years of prison.
- 51 men were found guilty, and convicted of sexual assault.
- The whole ordeal has sparked controversy over French’s rape law.
On Thursday, A horrifying trial of Dominique Pelicot, a husband conspiring with 51 men to sexually assault the unconscious body of his former wife Gisele Pelicot by drugging her, has concluded.
Gisele Pelicot’s former husband Dominique Pelicot, 72, was convicted of drugging and sexually assaulting his wife from 2011-2022, by soliciting several other men to participate in the heinous deed. The terrifying case has concluded with maximum 20 years of prison term for aggravated rape.
All the 51 co-defendants were found guilty, with forty-eight convicted of aggravated rape and 2 being charged with sexual assault press. Gisele Pelicot having denied her right to remain anonymous, sat in the court throughout the whole ordeal showing resilience to inspire victims to ‘speak up’.
When this news came to light, it left people questioning and examining the cultural misogyny of French society, with a demand for change in the approach towards gender-based violence.
How did the whole case come to the limelight?
The whole case came infront of police when Dominque was arrested in September 2022 for secretly taking photographs of the upskirts of females in the supermarket.
The chilling case came to light when police examined Dominique’s laptop and computer drive, uncovering over 20,000 photographs and videos of his now ex-wife being sexually assaulted. This discovery marked one of the most harrowing incidents in modern French history.
Dominique Pelicot admitted sedating his wife by putting drugs in her food, and drinks that would put her to deep sleep for hours. Over time the continuous abuse began to take a toll on her physical as well as mental health condition got worse. Gisele Pelicot believed in developing Alzheimer's due to frequent memory loss in court documents.
The Horrifying Secret
As the case unfolded, Dominque testified recruiting men from “dating sites”, where he allegedly shared the unconscious pictures of his wife and then arranged the meetings with his accomplices.
The 51 defendants hailed from all walks of life, from truck driver, journalist to firefighter and engineer etc. The youngest offender was 22 while the oldest was in his early 70s, all from a radius of within 50km. When questioned many of them believed consent of husbands was more than enough.
Gisele Pelicot who waived the right to remain anonymous to inspire women who have suffered sexual abuse to come forward, has become a symbol of courage and resilience for many women.
During the end of the trial, she stated, “I am thinking of all the unrecognized victims of stories, which often unfold in shadows. I want you to know we share the same fight”.
With inputs from agencies
Image Source: Multiple agencies
*The views expressed are personal to the author and do not reflect the platform's opinion of the same.
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Author's Bio
Neha Kumari is a student of Sociology, pursuing her postgraduate degree from the University of North Bengal. A passionate writer, she has collaborated with various notable NGOs, with her impactful writing and journalism she aims to advocate for social change.
