Man sentenced to 20 years in France mass rape trial

AVIGNON

A court on Dec. 19 sentenced a French man to the maximum term of 20 years jail for committing and orchestrating the mass rapes of his now former wife Gisele Pelicot with dozens of strangers he recruited online.

Dominique Pelicot, who had already confessed to the crimes, was earlier found guilty by the court in the southern city of Avignon after an over three-month trial that shocked France and turned his former wife Gisele into a feminist hero.

His 50 co-defendants received jail terms of between three and 15 years, less than what prosecutors had demanded. Two of these defendants had their jail terms suspended.

Tension was palpable in the courtroom, where a heavy police presence was deployed.

Many defendants arrived at the hearing with their bags packed ready for prison. One of them was in tears as he hugged his companion before entering the courtroom.

"Mr. Pelicot, you are found guilty of the aggravated rape of Gisele Pelicot," said the presiding judge of the criminal court in Avignon, Roger Arata.

Delivering sentence, Arata said Dominique Pelicot will not be eligible for parole until he has served two thirds of his sentence.

Dominique Pelicot, 72, has admitted to drugging Gisele Pelicot for almost a decade so he and strangers he recruited online could rape her.

Gisele Pelicot, 72, has become a feminist hero at home and abroad for refusing to be ashamed, waiving her right to a closed trial and standing up to her aggressors in court.

Alongside her ex-husband, 50 other men aged 27 to 74 have been on trial, including one who did not abuse her but raped his own wife with Dominique Pelicot's help.

Earlier on Dec. 19, Gisele Pelicot arrived at the courthouse smiling and cheered by crowds of supporters and feminist activists waiting outside who chanted her name and slogans like "Justice for Gisele" and "Shame has Changed Sides."