Pelicot rape trial live: Gisèle ‘led this fight’ for her grandchildren as 51 men sentenced to 428 years
Ms Pelicot’s ex-husband Dominique Pelicot admitted to drugging and raping her for almost a decade
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Courageous mass rape victim Gisèle Pelicot has said she “led this fight” for her grandchildren, after France’s most shocking mass rape case saw 51 men convicted for a total of 428 years.
Ex-husband Dominique Pelicot wept as he became one of 51 men convicted in a mass rape and sexual abuse trial involving Gisèle Pelicot, that saw her drugged and sexually assaulted over a number of years.
Her children and grandchildren were at the forefront of her mind throughout the three-month long court case in Avignon, southern France. "It’s also for them that I led this fight,” she told reporters outside the court.
“I’m thinking about all the other families affected by this case and the unrecognised victims in these stories that are often in the shadows - you share my struggle,” Ms Pelicot added. She “never regretted” making the decision to waive her anonymity.
Dominique Pelicot has been jailed for the maximum term of 20 years. He previously admitted that for years, he drugged his wife so he and strangers could abuse her while he filmed it.
Prosecutors had requested sentences totalling 652 years, but the sentences handed out by judges came up 224 years short of this.
The names and sentences of all 51 men found guilty in the Gisèle Pelicot trial
The sentences of the 51 men charged with rape and other offences related to the campaign of abuse against Gisèle Pelicot, orchestrated by her ex-husband Dominque Pelicot, are being revealed on Thursday.
Mr Pelicot has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for drugging his ex-wife, raping her, and inviting men to abuse her while unconscious for nearly a decade. He has also been found guilty of taking indecent images of his daughter and daughters-in-law.
While the 72-year-old had admitted the charges against him, most of the 50 other men on trial had denied charges of rape. They largely reside within the towns and villages around the southern French town of Mazan, where the Pelicots lived during their marriage.
Most have now been found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to time in prison. Here’s a full list of the defendants and their convictions:
Albert Toth reports:
The names and sentences of all 51 men found guilty in the Gisèle Pelicot trial
It is an historic day in Avignon as most of the defendents are found guilty of aggravated rape
Gisele Pelicot says she ‘never regretted’ waiving anonymity
Of her decision to waive her anonymity, Ms Pelicot said she “wanted to ensure that society could actually see what was happening and I never regretted this decision”.
She said she has “faith in our capacity to collectively take hold of our future”.
Ms Pelicot added that she respects the verdicts and sentences of the court.
Gisèle Pelicot speaks out after sentencing
Gisèle Pelicot has spoken with members of the press after 51 men were convicted todday in France’s largest mass rape case.
“I’m very emotional,” she says. “It’s with a lot of emotion that I’m here to make a statement. This case was a very difficult test for me and I’m thinking first and foremost of my three children.
“I’m thinking about all the other families affected by this case and the unrecognised victims in these stories that are often in the shadows - you share my struggle.”
She expresses “deepest gratitude” to those who supported her throughout the process. “This really gave me strength to come back day after day”.
Court sketches: Gisèle Pelicot listens to verdicts
Jean Tirano claims Dominique Pelicot sedated him before he raped Gisèle
Jean Tirano, a 52-year-old roofer originally from Reunion Island, claims he was acting under the influence of drugs when he raped Gisèle Pelicot.
He has been sentenced to eight years in prison after raping Ms Pelicot in September 2018.
After arriving at the house, Tirano claims Dominique Pelicot gave him a drink before asking him to undress. “And after that, I don’t remember anymore”, he told the court according to Liberation. “I found myself in the car, I don’t remember how I got there.”
He claims Pelicot had drugged him using the drink.
The video of his abuse shows his abrupt exit from the room after Ms Pelicot moves and a thumbs up to the camera. But Tirano claims he has no memory of this.
“No, I don’t remember... It would be good for the victim, for the truth. And to defend myself . Now I’m seen as a liar or an idiot.”
He didn’t go to the police as he feared having to explain what he had done to his wife, Tirano claimed. “I’m not the kind of person who looks for trouble,” he added.
‘The world is no longer the same thanks to you’ - president of National Assembly
The president of France’s National Assembly has issued words of support for Gisèle Pelicot.
She wrote on X: “Thank you for your courage Gisèle Pélicot. Through you, it is the voice of so many victims that carries today, the shame that changes sides, the taboo that is broken.
“The world is no longer the same thanks to you.”
Jean-Pierre Marechal: Dominique Pelicot imitator sentenced to 12 years
Jean-Pierre Marechal was found guilty of the attempted rape and aggravated rape of his own wife, and of drugging her.
Marechal was sentenced to 12 years in prison, after admitting to following Dominique Pelicot’s lead by drugging his own wife for five years.
He raped his wife, and invited Pelicot to rape her.
Marechard’s lawyer, Patrick Fontard, said his client would not be appealing the verdict, but that his client could be free in three years time.
Comment | Gisèle Pelicot’s daughter is dealing with unimaginable horror – as do all ‘forgotten victims’
By now, Gisèle Pelicot is a household name – for all the wrong and most tragic of reasons.
Since September – when she bravely waived anonymity and testified against her husband Dominique – horrific details of how he drugged her, raped her and facilitated her rape by at least 50 other men have slowly come to light.
She has faced her abusers throughout the trial in Avignon, France, attending almost every court date. She has spoken of how “broken” she is and how her decision to be named was to help shift the shame felt by victims of rape and place it rightly on the assailants’ shoulders.
“I am a woman who is totally destroyed, and I don’t know how I’m going to rebuild myself. I’m 72 soon and I’m not sure my life will be long enough to recover from this,” she said of the abuse that spanned nine years.
Emma Clarke writes: