Rape survivor Gisèle Pelicot walked out of a court in southern France for the last time on Thursday after her husband was jailed for 20 years for drug and forcing her, and inviting dozens of strangers to be abused for nearly ten years.
Dominique Pelicot, 72, was found guilty of all charges by a judge in Avignon. He was tried with 50 other men, all of whom were found guilty of at least one charge, although their prison terms were less than what prosecutors had requested.
Although the trial is over, there are still questions about the Pelicot case and what happens next.
1. What will Gisèle Pelicot do now?
When she climbed the steps of the Avignon courthouse for the first time in September, no one knew the name of Gisèle Pelicot. Over the next 15 weeks, her reputation grew as a rape victim who refused to be ashamed of what had been done to her.
By the time she left the tribunal on Thursdayhundreds of people were chanting her name and her picture was on the front pages of newspapers all over the world.
She is probably now one of the most famous women in France. This means that even though she has changed her name, it will be impossible for her to return to the secret that has served her so well as she tries to rebuild her life after her husband's crimes are revealed.
Gisèle is not the first person whose unimaginable suffering has turned her into an icon. At great personal cost, she has become a symbol of a fight she never chose. It is unlikely, then, that she will want to be an outspoken activist against gender violence, or a female protagonist. Instead, she may go back to what she always said provided relaxation: music, long walks and chocolate – as well as her seven grandchildren.
“At the beginning of the trial she said: 'If I last two weeks, that will be a lot.' In the end, she reached three and a half months,” said her lawyer Stephane Babonneau. “Now, she is at peace, and relieved that it is over.”
2. What really happened to Caroline?
Days after Dominique Pelicot's crimes came to light, his daughter Caroline Darian was called to the police station and showed photos of a seemingly unconscious woman dressed in clothes she was not wearing they know Later, she said her life “stopped” when she realized she was looking at pictures of herself.
Her father has always denied talking to her, but Caroline – whose anguish and devastation was evident in many court sessions – has said she would never believe him and she accused him of looking at her “with insestuous eyes”.
But the lack of proof of the abuse Caroline is sure she was subjected to has led her to describe herself as the “forgotten victim” in her lawsuit. That attitude has obviously entered into her relationship with her mother. In her memoirs – published after her father was arrested – she accused Gisèle of not showing her enough support, surprisingly choosing to side with her rapist husband she was preceded in death by her daughter.
Although Gisèle and her children have always sat next to each other in court, often whispering together, there have been signs of the toll the trial has taken on their relationship.
On Friday, Caroline's brother David pointed out – as he has done before – that the trial was not just about Gisèle but about their whole “destroyed family”.
“Our children felt forgotten,” he said. “Honestly, I feel that although our lawyers did a great job of protecting our mother, we were not paying attention so much for us.
In her memoir, Caroline lamented Gisèle's “denial as a means of coping”.
“Because of my father,” she wrote, “I am now losing my mother.”
3. How many defendants will apply?
Apart from Dominique, all the prison terms given to the defendants were less than what prosecutors had asked for.
Several defense lawyers were apparently satisfied, meaning they are unlikely to encourage their clients to appeal against their sentences. A man named Jean-Pierre Maréchal got 12 years – five less than prosecutors had asked for – and his lawyer Patrick Gonard told the BBC it was “out of the question” which he would apply.
One of the defendants coming to court. (Getty Images)
The months or years the men spend in pre-trial detention will depend on their total sentences, meaning some could be released soon if they have served the minimum term over.
One man who faced 17 years ended up being sentenced to eight years in prison, and his lawyer Roland Marmillot told the BBC that because he had already spent several years in prison it was likely that he would released relatively quickly.
However, by the morning after the trial closed, two men facing eight years in prison had already pleaded guilty. More are expected to follow over the next ten days – the period in which appeals can be lodged.
4. What else could Dominique Pelicot be guilty of?
Dominique Pelicot admitted that she attacked and tried to rape a 23-year-old estate agent, known by the nickname Marion, in the suburbs of Paris in 1999. of him, and he fled. It was only in 2021, after he was arrested for the crimes he committed against his wife Gisèle, that Pelicot's DNA was cross-examined with a blood stain found on Marion's shoe, and he admitted that he was guilty.
He has, however, denied any responsibility in another cold case – the rape and murder of another young estate agent, Sophie Narme, in 1991, where there is no DNA. Investigators have argued that the two cases have too many similarities to be coincidental.
Other cold cases where similar modi operandi were used are also being looked at.
5. Will the test be a turning point?
“There will be a 'before' and there will be an 'after' of the Pelicot trial,” a Paris man told the BBC in the early days of the trial.
For many, this sentiment has only grown in recent months as intense media coverage of the Pelicot trial has led to countless conversations about rape, consent and gender-based violence.
“What we need to do is to have much tougher sentences,” Nicolas and Mehdi, two residents of Mazan, told the BBC. They said they were “disgusted” when they found out it was one of the defenders in the football they were playing with.
“With a longer sentence they will at least think twice before doing stuff like this,” they said, adding that it was “crazy unfair” that some of the men could get out of ' prison in the coming months.
The Pelicot trial has led to calls for changes to French licensing laws. (Reuters)
It is worth noting, however, that the threat of a 20-year prison sentence for aggravated rape did not prevent Dominique Pelicot from offering his unconscious wife to be raped by strangers who he met online.
French legislation on forced reform has been called for to include consent, but that has stalled in the past and would take a lot of work in the currently divided French parliament.
Some have argued that schools have a responsibility to teach new generations about sex, love and consent. Béatrice Zavarro, Dominique Pelicot's lawyer, has said that she believes that “change will not come from the Ministry of Justice but from the Ministry of Education.”
Béatrice Zavarro, Dominique Pelicot's lawyer, says schools have a responsibility to provide better sex education. (EPA)
Françoise, who lives in the area where Gisèle and Dominique Pelicot used to live, told the BBC that she believes a way must be found to close the gap between what children taught in schools and the type of material they can access online.
“Young people are so open about sex on the internet and at the same time schools are very sensible,” she said. “They should be much more open and open to what children see and interpret .”
What these exchanges show is that, although it will take time for any changes to materialize, a conversation has now begun. It will continue until there are no more unanswered questions.
