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Gisele Pelicot, 71, attracted global attention after it was revealed that she was drugged by her husband Dominique and raped by over 80 men over 10 years.
Gisele Pelicot became a feminist icon as she refused to hide her identity in a heart-wrenching trial that shook the world. (Reuters)
Gisele Pelicot case: Dominique Pelicot was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to 20 years in prison after he was accused of drugging his wife Gisele Pelicot and inviting at least 80 strangers to sexually assault her for over 10 years, in a case that shook France and the entire world.
Gisele Pelicot, 71, was shattered after learning that her partner of five decades had secretly been administering her tranquilisers to rape her and inviting dozens of strangers to join him. However, she refused to hide her identity and demanded the trial to be open to the public as she felt it should be up to her alleged abusers to be ashamed, becoming a symbol of courage and resilience.
In a landmark and highly-anticipated verdict, Dominique Pelicot was found guilty of repeatedly drugging and raping his wife for over a decade. The panel also convicted a first batch of 20 out of 50 co-defendants in the case, dismissing some of their claims that they thought they were participating in a consensual sex game.
Dominique was sentenced to 20 years in prison as Gisele rested her head against a wall in the courtroom. The 72-year-old man showed no emotion as the verdicts were read out, according to BBC.
He was also found guilty of the attempted aggravated rape of the wife of one of the co-accused Jean Pierre Marechal, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison, as well as taking indecent pictures of his daughter Caroline and his daughters-in-law.