Gisèle Pelicot rape case

[Benjamin]

Warning: This story contains distressing details from the start.

A French woman who was raped by unknown men over 10 years after being drugged to sleep by her husband told a court of her horror at learning how she had been abused.

Gisèle Pélicot, who is 72, was giving evidence on day three of the trial in Avignon, south-east France, of 51 men – including her husband of 50 years, Dominique. All are accused of rape.

Documents before court indicate that Dominique Pélicot, 71, admitted to police that he got satisfaction from watching other men have sex with his unconscious wife.

Many defendants in the case contest the rape charge against them, claiming that they thought they were taking part in a consensual sex game.

This is a case that has shocked France, all the more so because the trial is being held in public.

Gisèle Pélicot waived her right to anonymity to shift the "shame" back onto the accused, her legal team has previously said.

Taking the stand on Thursday, she said she was speaking for "every woman who's been drugged without knowing it... so that no woman has to suffer."

She recalled the moment in November 2020 when she was asked by police to attend an interview alongside her husband.

He had recently been caught taking under-skirt photographs of women at a supermarket, and Gisèle told the court she believed the meeting with police was a formality related to that incident.

“The police officer asked me about my sex life,” she told the court. “I told him I had never practised partner-swapping or threesomes. I said I was a one-man woman. I couldn’t bear any man’s hands on me other than my husband’s.

“But after an hour the officer said, ‘I am going to show you some things which you will not find pleasant’. He opened a folder and he showed me a photograph.

“I did not recognise either the man or the woman asleep on the bed. The officer asked: ‘Madame, is this your bed and bedside table?’

“It was hard to recognise myself dressed up in a way that was unfamiliar. Then he showed me a second photo and a third.

“I asked him to stop. It was unbearable. I was inert, in my bed, and a man was raping me. My world fell apart.”
Gisèle said that up until then their marriage had been generally happy, and she and her husband had overcome a number of financial and health-related difficulties. She said she had forgiven the upskirting after he promised her that it had been a one-off incident.

“All that we had built together had gone. Our three children, seven grandchildren. We used to be an ideal couple.

“I just wanted to disappear. But I had to tell my children their father was under arrest. I asked my son-in-law to stay next to my daughter when I told her that her father had raped me, and had me raped by others.

“She let out a howl, whose sound is still etched on my mind.”

In the coming days, the court will hear more evidence from the investigation, about how Dominique allegedly contacted men via sex-chat websites and invited them to his suburban home in Mazan, a town north-east of Avignon.

Police claim the men were given strict instructions. They had to park at some distance from the house so as to not attract attention, and to wait for up to an hour so that the sleeping drugs which he had given Gisèle could take effect.

They further claim that, once in the home, the men were told to undress in the kitchen, and then to warm their hands with hot water or on a radiator.
Tobacco and perfume were not allowed in case they awoke Gisèle. Condoms were not required.
No money changed hands.

According to the investigation, Dominique watched and filmed the proceedings, eventually creating a hard-drive file with some 4,000 photos and videos on it. It was as a result of the upskirting episode that police found the files on his computer.

Police say they have evidence of around 200 rapes carried out between 2011 and 2020, initially at their home outside Paris, but mainly in Mazan, where they moved in 2013.

Investigators allege that just over half the rapes were carried out by her husband. Most of the other men lived only a few kilometres away.

Asked Thursday by the judge if she knew any of the accused, Gisèle said she recognised only one.

“He was our neighbour. He came over to check our bikes. I used to see him at the bakery. He was always polite. I had no idea he was coming to rape me.”

Gisèle was then reminded by the judge that in order to respect the presumption of innocence, it had been agreed in court not to use the word rape but “sex scene”.

She replied: “I just think they should recognise the facts. When I think of what they have done I am overcome with disgust. They should at least have the responsibility to recognise what they did.”

After the truth emerged, Gisèle found that she was carrying four sexually-transmitted diseases.

“I have had no sympathy from any of the accused. One who was HIV-positive came six times. Not once did my husband express any concern about my health,” she said.

She is now in the process of divorcing him.

After speaking for two hours in front of Dominique and the other accused, she said: “Inside me, it is a scene of devastation. The façade may look solid... but behind it...”

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd9dwxexp77o

[Kate!]

Truly horrendous

[smudgie]

How absolutely awful.
No condoms, I would have the kids doing a DNA test.
The husband should be locked up for life.

[bots]

i'm sure i watched a tv series where this happened

[Cherie]

Poor woman, this guy is depraved

[arista]

Yes Evil Man.


Like Bill Cosby used drugs to
rape 100's of women.

[GoldHeart]

W T actual F ! utterly horrific & perverted.

How did she even explain this to the kids , that family is never going to be the same again. She married a disgusting monster, how will she ever get over this...10 years of extreme abuse .

[Ammi]

…yesterday it was reported that his daughter, Caroline Darain also left the courtroom in tears when it was being discussed that he also kept naked images of her on his computer..she’s already written a book about the impact of it all on their family…And I Stopped Calling You Daddy…she wrote of how she’s always had a fear that her father invited men to rape her also, since a folder was found titled ‘My Naked Daughter’…a truly depraved and evil man…

[bots]

…yesterday it was reported that his daughter, Caroline Darain also left the courtroom in tears when it was being discussed that he also kept naked images of her on his computer..she’s already written a book about the impact of it all on their family…And I Stopped Calling You Daddy…she wrote of how she’s always had a fear that her father invited men to rape her also, since a folder was found titled ‘My Naked Daughter’…a truly depraved and evil man…

this whole story is insane and it keeps getting worse

[Benjamin]

…yesterday it was reported that his daughter, Caroline Darain also left the courtroom in tears when it was being discussed that he also kept naked images of her on his computer..she’s already written a book about the impact of it all on their family…And I Stopped Calling You Daddy…she wrote of how she’s always had a fear that her father invited men to rape her also, since a folder was found titled ‘My Naked Daughter’…a truly depraved and evil man…

Jesus Christ.

[Niamh.]

All the men who were willing to rape her as well is terrifying

[Mystic Mock]

I honestly am lost for words.

[Ammi]

All the men who were willing to rape her as well is terrifying

…the men included a fireman, a journalist and a prison guard and they’re all at least facing long sentences also of up to 20 years in prison…it’s just such an incredible story in the most debased and wicked of ways…it’s unimaginable how she must have felt when she found out and the impact on her and the family going forward in their lives…I mean, that she didn’t know a single thing or had any suspicion of wrongdoing at all until he was arrested for an upskirting incident and then all of those images and videos that were found on his phone …to be shown that by the police authorities and told…this is what has been happening, this is what he’s been doing…and this was her husband, someone she trusted…it’s just something that’s so difficult to get thoughts around, isn’t it…that poor, poor woman and family…and now she’s having to go through the court ordeal as well to get the justice this all needs to face…horrendous, where to start to rebuild a life…

[Ammi]

An associate of Dominique Pelicot, the Frenchman man who drugged his wife and invited dozens of men to rape her in a case that has shocked France and the world, told a court that he committed similar crimes against his own wife under Pelicot's influence. Jean-Pierre Marechal met Pelicot on a website where they shared information about drugging and assulting their spouses. Police say Pelicot was among the men who Marechal invited to assault his wife.

An associate of Frenchman Dominique Pelicot, who for a nearly a decade drugged his wife and invited dozens of men to rape her, admitted to copycat abuse of his own partner on Wednesday, blaming his mentor and a troubled childhood.

Police have said Jean-Pierre Marechal, 63, worked with Pelicot to drug and both rape Marechal's wife Cilia after meeting on a now-shuttered website.

The trial of Pelicot and 50 other men accused of raping his wife has shocked the world. It has also triggered protests across France in support of Gisele Pelicot, who has become a symbol of the fight against sexual violence.

Read more‘We believe you’: French demonstrators rally in support of mass rape victim

Wednesday began with more disturbing testimony, as Marechal described how he and his sisters suffered sexual abuse at the hands of his father.

He said it was Pelicot who unlocked his inner demon.


https://uk.yahoo.com/news/associate-frenchman-mass-rape-trial-120142938.html

[Niamh.]

This whole story is just so depraved and disgusting. I just can't even comprehend it

[Crimson Dynamo]

Its disgusting but there are things in this story that don't add up for me, anyhoo I'm sure I t will eventually unravel?

[LaLaLand]

Absolutely horrific case. Monsters.

The lady is such a legend for waiving her anonymity though and showing (and rightly so) no shame in all of this. Heroic, brave woman. Inspirational. :love:

[UserSince2005]

Scary the mayor of the town wondering what all the fuss is about “no children were involved, no one was murdered”

[rusticgal]

Absolutely horrific case. Monsters.

The lady is such a legend for waiving her anonymity though and showing (and rightly so) no shame in all of this. Heroic, brave woman. Inspirational. :love:


I couldn’t agree more

[Mystic Mock]

I hope that the two guys suffer as much as humanly possible in Prison.

And there is no joke or anything intended, monsters like that deserve to suffer imo.

[Maru]

I have a really hard time following these kinds of stories. I follow court cases in the background while I work sometimes, but I'm limited to what I can stomach...

I'd read he'd blurted out that he was a rapist in court.. but read that in passing. I don't want to imagine what that woman must've felt like to have learned what was really going on...

[arista]

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/09/19/16/89874299-0-image-m-20_1726758648277.jpg

[Ammi]

Gisèle Pelicot rape trial live: Ex-husband Dominique Pelicot guilty on all charges as 51 defendants face court…


Gisèle Pelicot’s ex-husband has been jailed for 20 years after being found guilty of orchestrating her horrific rape in a crime that shocked France.

Dubbed the Monster of Avignon, Dominique Pelicot is one of 47 men who have been convicted in a mass rape trial against 51 men involving Ms Pelicot, that saw her drugged and sexually assaulted over a number of years.

Pelicot has been jailed for the maximum term of 20 years. The others also face up to 20 years imprisonment if convicted in the courthouse in Avignon, southern France. Pelicot, the now ex-husband of the 72-year-old grandmother, previously admitted that for years, he drugged his wife so he and strangers could abuse her while he filmed it.

Prosecutors asked that he get the maximum penalty and for sentences of 10-18 years for the others. They also requested a four-year prison term for another defendant who was tried for aggravated sexual assault.


Stretching over more than three months, the trial galvanised campaigners against sexual violence and spurred calls for tougher measures to stamp out rape culture.

Key Points

Court finds 47 guilty of rape, two of attempted rape, two of sexual assault

Gisèle Pelicot: Inside the rape trial that shocked the world

Dominique Pelicot jailed for 20 years

In pictures: Crowds support Gisèle Pelicot outside courthouse

Five judges set to return verdicts in France’s worst mass rape case

Court finds 47 guilty of rape

09:30 , Alex Croft

The French courts have found 47 men guilty of rape, two guily of attempted rape and two guilty of sexual assault.

The verdicts on France’s worst ever mass rape case were read out this morning after a three-month long trial.

Local judge reads out guilty verdicts

09:26 , Alex Croft

Local judge in the southern French town of Avignon, Roger Arata, has been reading out guilty verdicts for dozens of men accused of raping Gisèle Pelicot.

Mr Arata read out verdicts one after the other against the accused men.

“You are therefore declared guilty of aggravated rape on the person of Mme Gisèle Pelicot”, he told at least 20 of them.

Gisèle Pelicot: Inside the rape trial that shocked the world

09:23 , Alex Croft

Sitting across a courtroom from the husband who drugged and raped her for a decade, along with the complete strangers he invited to join in the attacks, Gisèle Pelicot was the epitome of dignity.

After bravely choosing to waive her right to anonymity, the grandmother has looked each of her rapists in the eye during a gruelling four-month public trial which horrified the world.

The 72-year-old’s remarkable courage in the face of unfathomable abuse and her simple message - that she and other victims of sexual crimes have no reason to feel ashamed - has inspired conversations about rape culture across the globe as she became a symbol of the struggle against sexual violence.

Each day, scores of women queued outside the courtroom in Avignon, France, to applaud Gisele as she entered. She told the trial she wants women who have been raped to know that “it’s not for us to have shame - it’s for them”.

[Cherie]

what a strange case, some men can be so vile, at least he will die where he belongs

[Niamh.]

what a strange case, some men can be so vile, at least he will die where he belongs

.

[Livia]

Some of the men involved seem to be portraying themselves as some kind of victim. Hard to imagine the cheek of them... I see they're investigating the husband for the murder of an estate agent, after finding him guilty of raping an estate agent in Paris. He's never coming out.

[Ammi]

…with the sentencing, their son gave a thumbs up to the crowds outside of the court building…and inside the courtroom, their daughter said to Dominique Pelicot… ‘You will die like a dog’…

[Zizu]

what a strange case, some men can be so vile, at least he will die where he belongs


He only got 20 years - so won’t he just serve half of that ?

Plus his lawyer suggested that he will probably appeal

[Livia]

He only got 20 years - so won’t he just serve half of that ?

Plus his lawyer suggested that he will probably appeal

He raped an estate agent in Paris and he's being investigated for the rape and murder of another. Let's see what happens with that. Even without that, I'm not sure how well an appeal will go when there's video evidence of his crimes.

[Cherie]

He only got 20 years - so won’t he just serve half of that ?

Plus his lawyer suggested that he will probably appeal

appeal on what grounds? he will still be in prison, he is 72, trust me he is dying in prison

[MTVN]

The youngest offender carried out the rape on the day his daughter was born

Expect there'll be a movie about this case some day

[Benjamin]

The youngest offender carried out the rape on the day his daughter was born

Expect there'll be a movie about this case some day

Jesus Christ. These people.

And yeah, this defo has a film being made about it in a few years.

[Crimson Dynamo]

So 50 guys wanted to have sex with effectively a corpse?

Sorry what

[Zizu]

So 50 guys wanted to have sex with effectively a corpse?

Sorry what


They all need locking up for a long, long time after getting a flogging

[Zizu]

appeal on what grounds? he will still be in prison, he is 72, trust me he is dying in prison


Ahhhh

Didn’t know he was that old ..

[Mystic Mock]

what a strange case, some men can be so vile, at least he will die where he belongs

It's just a shame that she has been living a lie for two or more decades.

[Mystic Mock]

So 50 guys wanted to have sex with effectively a corpse?

Sorry what

You've just added an even more sickening element to what's already a disgusting case.

But I agree with your point.

[Ammi]

…as well as the rapes and abuses, Dominique Pelicot made and distributed naked images of his daughter and the wives of his sons….he’s a truly, truly evil man…I’m glad that Gisele and her children now feel the support of France behind them …

[arista]

https://liveblog.digitalimages.sky/lc-images-sky/lcimg-1bbed5ac-392e-4d4e-b918-9689134246e6.jpeg

[arista]

https://liveblog.digitalimages.sky/lc-images-sky/lcimg-05be9777-d914-4934-82ab-ef88416417b5.jpeg

[arista]

https://liveblog.digitalimages.sky/lc-images-sky/lcimg-b9c9d2f7-767f-413d-94b4-2f3cc60f1ce8.jpeg

[arista]

https://liveblog.digitalimages.sky/lc-images-sky/lcimg-4948b3f8-33d3-4bf3-b1bc-31f08246169e.jpeg

[Benjamin]

I have so much respect for her for making it so public. That can’t be an easy thing at all to deal with at all.

[Ammi]

…^^…and not just for making it public…it’s also difficult with any rape case, I feel…when it’s one or fewer abusers involved…but to take on over 50 abusers, including her husband…she really is an incredible lady …and an incredible family with support from her children…:love:…

[Niamh.]

Are any of these men who raped her going to be charged?

[Ammi]

Are any of these men who raped her going to be charged?

…they have been with various prison sentences given…I think there is a list in some of the articles of those, I’ll see if I can find it…

[Ammi]

Jean-Pierre Marechal, 63, a worker in a garden store. He is the only co-defendant who is not accused of raping Gisele. Instead, he drugged and raped his own wife for five years, inviting Pelicot to do the same. He pleaded guilty: “I was a rapist, but I’m not any more.” He was sentenced to 12 years in prison for attempted and aggravated rape.

Lionel Rodriguez, 44, a supermarket worker and father of three. He was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Jacques Cubeau, 73, a retired firefighter and father of two. He told the court he believed what he was participating in was consensual. He was sentenced to five years.

Cyrille Delville, 54, a construction worker who admitted to rape. He was sentenced to eight years.

Andy Rodriguez, 37, an unemployed alcoholic. He was found guilty and sentenced to six years.

Joan Kawai, 27, a soldier. It was revealed in the trial that he missed the birth of his daughter because he was assaulting Gisele Pelicot. He was found guilty of rape and sentenced to 10 years.

Hugues Malago, 39, a tiler who denied attempting to rape Gisele. He was found guilty of attempted rape and sentenced to five years.

Husamettin Dogan, 43, a construction worker who was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to nine years.

Mathieu Dartus, 53, a baker who said he had taken the drug MDMA the night he visited the Pelicots. He was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to seven years.

Fabien Sotto, 39, a homeless father of four who admitted to rape. He was found guilty and sentenced to 11 years.

Jean Tirano, 52, a roof mechanic who claimed he was also drugged by Pelicot. He was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to eight years.

Simoné Mekenes, 43, the next-door neighbour of the Pelicots and the only man in the videos Gisele recognised. He was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to nine years

Redouan El Farihi, 55, a nurse who visited the Pelicots’ home when his wife was away in Morocco. He claimed Pelicot told him that Gisele was pretending to be asleep. He was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to eight years.

Thierry Postat, 61, also faced charges of owning more than 1,000 pieces of child pornography and zoophilic images. He was sentenced to 12 years and banned from working with children for life.

Jerome Vilela, 46, admitted to knowing that Gisele had been drugged. He was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to 13 years.

Adrien Longeron, 34, denied raping Gisele, telling the court that “as long as the husband was present, there was no rape”. He was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to six years.

Thierry Parisis, 54, was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to eight years.

Vincent Coullet, 43, a carpenter. He was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to 10 years.

Didier Sambuchi, 67, a retired truck driver. He was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to five years.

Patrick Aron, 60, who was unemployed. He was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to six years.

Jean-Marc Leloup, 74, a retired truck driver. He was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to six years.

Karim Sebaoui, 40, an IT worker. He was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to 10 years.

Mohamed Rafaa, 70, a former DJ and club manager. He was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to eight years.

Dominique Davies, 45, a truck driver. He was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to 13 years.

Cyprien Culieras, 44, a forklift operator who has eight prior convictions. He was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to six years.

Mahdi Daoudi, 36, was found guilty of rape and sentenced to eight years.

Cyril Beaubis, 47, was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to nine years.

Ahmed Tbarik, 54, a plumber. He was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to eight years.
Redouane Azougagh, 40, was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to nine years.

Patrice Nicolle, 55, an electrician. He was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to eight years.

Gregory Serviol, 31, a plasterer who had seven prior convictions. He was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to eight years.

Abdelali Dallal, 47, was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to eight years. However, his sentence was suspended due to medical issues, and he will be placed in a special prison.

Jean-Luc La, 46, was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to 10 years.

Florian Rocca, 32, was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to seven years.

Quentin Hennebert, 34, a former prison guard. He was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to seven years.

Romain Vandevelde, 63, a pensioner who is HIV-positive and refused to use a condom when raping Gisele Pelicot. He was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to 15 years – the longest sentence among the co-defendants.

Cendric Venzin, 44, a restaurant manager. He was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to nine years.

Omar Douiri, 36, a cleaner who was married. He was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to eight years.

Ludovick Blemeur, 39, a warehouse worker. He was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to seven years.

Saifeddine Ghabi, 36, a truck driver. He was found guilty of sexual assault but was acquitted of rape and sentenced to three years.

Hassan Ouamou, 30, has 13 prior convictions and fled France during the investigation. He was tried in absentia, found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to 12 years.

Paul Grovogui, 31, was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to eight years.

Cedric Grassot, 50, was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to 12 years.

Joseph Cocco, 69, was not charged with rape. He was found guilty of aggravated sexual assault and sentenced to three years.

Nicolas Francois, 42, a freelance journalist. He was found guilty of aggravated rape and owning child abuse imagery. He was sentenced to eight years and banned from working near children.

Philippe Leleu, 62, was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to five years, two of which were suspended.

Boris Moulin, 37, was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to eight years.

Christian Lescole, 57, was found guilty of aggravated rape and owning child abuse imagery, and sentenced to nine years.

Nizar Hamida, 41, has eight prior convictions and told the court: “I’m not a rapist. Why would I go and rape a 66-year-old woman?” He was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to 10 years.
Charly Arbo, 30, was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to 13 years.

[Niamh.]

Oh good, thanks Ammi

[Ammi]

…it’s endless, it seriously reads like a horror story because it is a horror story…sadly a true one ….and as Matt said earlier…the youngest offender took part in a raping of Giselle on the day that his wife gave birth to their child…

[Niamh.]

…it’s endless, it seriously reads like a horror story because it is a horror story…sadly a true one ….and as Matt said earlier…the youngest offender took part in a raping of Giselle on the day that his wife gave birth to their child…

It's horrific that there just seems to be endless men willing to do this to someone. I know their profession's means nothing really, you'll find bad people everywhere but the Firefighter and nurse stood out a bit, people who's job it is to rescue and medically treat people

[Ammi]

It's horrific that there just seems to be endless men willing to do this to someone. I know their profession's means nothing really, you'll find bad people everywhere but the Firefighter and nurse stood out a bit, people who's job it is to rescue and medically treat people

…it went very quickly from being one of the most bizarre stories to one of the most repugnant and abhorrent ones…and one of the men who raped Giselle saying…’so long as the husband was present, there was no rape…’…and that’s one of the things that makes her so brave in coming forward…that ‘male ownership’ of her being her husband’s property and him being the person who would determine and identify rape …

[Niamh.]

…it went very quickly from being one of the most bizarre stories to one of the most repugnant and abhorrent ones…and one of the men who raped Giselle saying…’so long as the husband was present, there was no rape…’…and that’s one of the things that makes her so brave in coming forward…that ‘male ownership’ of her being her husband’s property and him being the person who would determine and identify rape …

Yes, the dehumisation of women is so strong in this case, he just came right out and said it, I hope that one got more time added on

[Livia]

I want to see some of the guilty man splattered across the front pages.

[Zizu]

I want to see some of the guilty man splattered across the front pages.


Yep

Hung, drawn and quartered ..

His behaviour is /was unthinkable .. even in today’s crazy world

[arista]

…it’s endless, it seriously reads like a horror story because it is a horror story…sadly a true one ….and as Matt said earlier…the youngest offender took part in a raping of Giselle on the day that his wife gave birth to their child…


Yes France has some evil locals
taking their turn to Rape her.

[Benjamin]

Gisèle Pelicot rape case: 17 men appeal against convictions

Dominique Pelicot, the 72-year-old man who drugged and raped his wife Gisèle and recruited dozens of men to rape her over a decade, will not appeal against his 20-year jail sentence, his lawyer Béatrice Zavarro said.

However, 17 of the 49 men who were convicted of raping or sexually assaulting Ms Pelicot at Dominique's behest have said they will appeal.

More could follow before the window to lodge appeals closes at midnight on 30 December.

Ms Zavarro told French media that Dominique Pelicot - who admitted his guilt - had decided not to appeal as he did not want to inflict a "new ordeal" on Ms Pelicot, who attended court for the vast majority of the 15-week-long trial.

"He felt that this decision was in line with the position he had always taken in the trial, namely that Ms Pelicot was not and never had been his adversary," Ms Zavarro said, adding that Dominique Pelicot wanted to be "done" with this case.

He will need to be present in court as a witness during the appeals trial.

Although Ms Pelicot is under no obligation to attend the proceedings, her lawyer Stéphane Babonneau told French media that she would "face those who appealed. She's not scared of that, although she obviously would have rather it ended here."

Under French law, a new trial will have to be held over the next 12 months. However, unlike the first trial, it will be judged by three magistrates and a jury made up of nine members of the public.

While this will not necessarily result in harsher sentences, the trial's huge resonance and media coverage may mean the jury ends up being less lenient than the judges.

Although they will be closely vetted, "members of the jury are humans like you and I and may well have preconceptions," lawyer Hansu Yalaz told the BBC.

Among the men who have appealed are Charly Arbo, now 30, who was sentenced to 13 years in jail for raping Ms Pelicot on six separate occasions when he was in his early 20s.

Construction worker Simoné Mekenese, 43, and nurse Redouane El Farihi, 55, who were sentenced to nine and eight years respectively, have also appealed.

Many of the men argued they were "manipulated" by Pelicot into raping his wife, and that they were not aware she had not given her consent.

"Since the start, my client has said he... never meant to rape Gisele Pelicot," said Mekenese's lawyer Yannick Prat, adding that the nine-year jail sentence was "disproportionate".

He admitted the prospect of facing a popular jury could result in a heftier sentence, but said he would be "absolutely happy" to work with jurors.

"I will ask them to put themselves in the shoes of every party in this trial," he said.

Lawyer Louis-Alain Lemaire said one of his clients, who was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment, was appealing the guilty verdict as "there was no criminal intention on his part".

But other defence lawyers feel that an appeal would be a risky gamble.

On the day the verdicts were handed down, lawyer Patrick Gontard told the BBC that while appeals are usually lodged in the hope of shaving off a few years from a jail sentence, all the men - including his client - had already been handed lighter sentences than had been asked by prosecutor.

Dominique Pelicot - who his daughter Caroline once called "one of the worst sexual predators of the last 20 years" - drugged, raped and incited others to rape his wife Gisèle for at least a decade.

He filmed many of the rapes, which allowed investigators to track down dozens of men. Fifty were eventually arrested, but about 20 individuals were never identified and are believed to be still at large.

The court found 47 of the men guilty of rape, two guilty of attempted rape, and two guilty of sexual assault.

Six men were allowed to walk free from court, in most cases because of the time they had already spent in pre-trial detention.

The proceedings - which lasted from September to December - garnered worldwide attention thanks to Gisèle Pelicot's decision to waive her anonymity and open the trial to the public and the media.

She said she did so in order to help other victims of rape: "I want them to say: if Madame Pelicot did it, I can too."

"Victims of rape are often ashamed, but it's not on us to have shame. It's on them," she said.



https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckg1plx12x2o

[Cherie]

Gisèle Pelicot’s daughter has revealed she barely speaks to her mother now, despite sharing the ordeal of a high-profile mass rape trial.

Caroline Darian claims that she was also a victim of her father Dominique Pelicot, who was convicted in France last year after orchestrating her mother’s rape. But Ms Darian says her allegations have led to a rift between mother and daughter, laid bare in a new interview.

“My mother let go of my hand in that courtroom,” Ms Darian told The Telegraph, as she discussed the fallout from a case that shocked the world.

“She abandoned me. For four years I accompanied my mum everywhere. I supported her without ever judging her. And it wasn’t always easy because she didn’t want to hear what I was telling her about Dominique. But in that courtroom, she was supposed to help me. And that, I can never forgive her for.”

“My mother let go of my hand in that courtroom,” Ms Darian told The Telegraph, as she discussed the fallout from a case that shocked the world.

“She abandoned me. For four years I accompanied my mum everywhere. I supported her without ever judging her. And it wasn’t always easy because she didn’t want to hear what I was telling her about Dominique. But in that courtroom, she was supposed to help me. And that, I can never forgive her for.”

Pelicot denied sexually assaulting or raping his daughter during the trial. Ms Pelicot declined to answer when she was asked in court if she supported her daughter’s claims.

Ms Darian has detailed her ordeal in a book, ‘I’ll Never Call Him Dad Again’, which recounts the discovery of her father’s abusive behaviour and how the family managed to carry on. She has also set up her own campaign #MendorsPas: Stop Chemical Submission: Don't Put Me Under to highlight the issue of drugged assaults.

Describing herself as the “invisible victim”, the author discussed her harrowing experience at the Hay Festival earlier this year.

“At the very beginning of the revelations, I discovered some pictures of me, taken from my beloved father, where I’m totally sedated,” she said. “He sedated me, like my mum. The main difference between my mum and me: my mum has all the evidence, all the proof of having been raped. But not me. I only have those pictures, almost naked, lying on the bed, with pants which are not mine.

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“But I don’t know what’s happened before or after.”

In the aftermath of the trial, having bravely waived her anonymity, Ms Pelicot emerged as a courageous symbol against rape culture.

“My mum was catapulted into the limelight; she became an icon,” she told The Telegraph. “Meanwhile, there we were, back down on earth, with all these unanswered questions – and we are damaged. My mother isn't an icon - not to me.”

Asked what she would say if she bumped into her today, Ms Darian replied: “’Hello mum’ and ‘goodbye mum’.”


The Telegraph

what a sad and unexpected outcome

[Ammi]

…it is very, very sad that Gisele Pelicot herself has gone through so much in such incredible and shocking life story and knows the monster of her husband and yet, she doesn’t believe that her daughter also was subjected to sexual abuses/assaults…and hasn’t ’held Caroline’s hand’ physically or emotionally…all very, very sad, the damage to that family in so many ways…

[Nicky91]

who?