CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses rape.
Dominique Pelicot, the ex-husband of Giséle Pelicot, has been found guilty of all charges against him, including aggravated rape, and has been handed the maximum sentence of 20 years of imprisonment.
On Thursday, just after 8.53pm (AEDT), a French court convicted the 72-year-old of all charges laid against him in the shocking rape trial of Giséle Pelicot.
Alongside the aggravated rape against his ex-wife, Dominique was also convicted of making and distributing pictures of Giséle, as well as making and distributing sexual images of his adult daughter Caroline and the wives of his sons, The Guardian reports.
Giséle’s case gripped the world following her husband’s shocking admission to drugging and raping her and inviting more than 70 men to rape her while she was drugged for almost a decade.
Following Dominque’s conviction and sentencing, 51 men on trial in connection to Giséle’s case were also found guilty. Per Reuters, 47 of them were found guilty of rape, another two of attempted rape and two more of sexual assault.
At the time of writing, the 51 men have not been sentenced.
Throughout the three-month trial, Giséle has become a symbol of resilience. In October, the 72-year-old grandmother delivered her testimony, telling the court: “I’ve decided not to be ashamed, I’ve done nothing wrong.”
“It’s true that I hear lots of women, and men, who say you’re very brave. I say it’s not bravery, it’s will and determination to change society,” she continued.
Throughout the trial, it was reported that most of the 51 men who were invited to have sex with her claimed they did not realise they were raping her, and claimed that they were manipulated by Dominique.
In response, Giséle slammed their reasonings, labelling it as a “trial of cowardice”.
“When you walk into a bedroom and see a motionless body, at what point (do you decide) not to react,” she said when addressing the accused in court, per Reuters.
“Why did you not leave immediately to report it to the police?
“It is time for society to look at this macho, patriarchal society and change the way it looks at rape.”
Following the verdict, supporters and advocates who are pushing for changes to France’s rape laws cheered when Dominique was found guilty.
Help is available.
- If you require immediate assistance, please call 000.
- If you’d like to speak to someone about sexual violence, please call the 1800 Respect hotline on 1800 737 732 or chat online.
- Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.
The post Giséle Pelicot’s Ex-Husband Dominique Pelicot Found Guilty Of Rape & All Charges Against Him appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
