A judge in France on Thursday found the ex-husband of Gisèle Pelicot, who has admitted drugging and raping her repeatedly over almost a decade and inviting dozens of other men to attack her as well, guilty of aggravated rape. During her trial, Pelicot – who asked to reveal her full name and transactions to be published – praised for her courage and being a symbol of the fight against sexual violence in France and around the world.
Pelicot arrived in court on Thursday in Avignon, south-east France, where a large crowd had gathered outside holding signs saying: “Thank you for your courage.”
The trial began on September 2, and almost every day, Pelicot came face to face a former oneDominique, or one of the other 49 men accused of raping her. Another man faced a charge of aggravated sexual assault. She requested that videos submitted as evidence, made by her husband which showed men sexually assaulting her while she appeared to be unconscious, show in open court.
The attacks took place between 2011 and 2020, when Dominique Pelicot was arrested. Police found thousands of photos and videos of the abuse on his computer drives, which helped lead to other suspects. Some of the men said they thought the unconscious woman was fine with it, or that her husband's consent was enough.
“Gisèle Pelicot believes that this shock wave is necessary, so that no one can say after this: 'I did not know that this was rape,'” said her lawyer, Stéphane Babonneau , to the Associated Press.
“It's not up to us to be ashamed – it's up to them,” Pelicot said in court, referring to the attackers. “Above all, I declare my will and my intention to change this society.”
Controversial French laws
The Pelicot case sparked protests across France, and there was hope among some demonstrators that the case could lead to changes in France's controversial laws governing sexual consent.
France introduced the legal age of sexual consent in 2021 after a public outcry over the rape of an 11-year-old schoolgirl by a man who was initially convicted on a lesser charge. Since then, sex with a person under the age of 15 has been seen as non-consensual, but French law does not mention consent in cases involving older victims.
Under French law, rape is defined as penetration or oral sex using “violence, coercion, threat or surprise,” regardless of consent, according to the Reuters news agency. prosecutors, therefore, prove that they intend to force if they are going to be successful in court, legal experts told Reuters.
Only 14% of rape allegations in France lead to formal investigations, according to a study by the Institute of Public Policies.
“Why can't we get a conviction? The first reason is the law,” legal expert Catherine Le Magueresse told Reuters. “The law is written in such a way that victims have to conform to the stereotype of a 'good victim' and ' true rape': unknown assailant, use of violence, and resistance to the victim. But it is only true for a minority of rapes.”
“I'm trying to understand”
Speaking in court during the trial, Pelicot, who is 72, spoke of how she believed she was in a loving marriage with her husband and would never have thought he was 'give her drugs.
“We would have a glass of white wine together. I never found anything strange about my potatoes,” Pelicot told the court.
“We finished eating. Often when there was a football game on TV, I let him watch it alone. He brought my ice cream to my bed, where I was. The most delicious my favorite – raspberry – and I thought: “How lucky I am. am It's love.”
She said she had no idea the drug had been taken.
“I never felt my heart flutter. I didn't feel anything. I must have gone down very quickly. I would wake up with my pajamas on,” Pelicot told the court, adding that she would sometimes wake up “more tired than usual. , but I walked a lot and I thought that was it.”
“I'm trying to understand,” she said, “how this man, who was a perfect man, could have gotten to this point. “
