French prosecutors are demanding 20 years in prison for Dominique Pélicot, who admitted to drug use and organizing the rape of his ex-wife. – This is a lot, but at the same time it is not enough, – emphasized the prosecutor.
The trial of the case that shook France and reverberated around the world, which has been going on since the beginning of September, will end in the court of Avignon. Dominique Pellicote, 71, is accused of drugging his ex-wife Gisele for nearly ten years (between 2011 and 2020), then raping her and organizing the rapes of dozens of other men.
Dominique Pelicote pleaded guilty. Prosecutors want 20 years in prison for him – the maximum sentence for this crime. As prosecutor Laure Chabaud said, the maximum sentence for Pelicot “is a lot, but at the same time it is too little considering the seriousness of the actions committed and repeated.”
READ MORE: He didn't want the trial to be held behind closed doors. Because he should not be ashamed
In addition to Dominique Pelicot, another 50 men aged between 26 and 74 are accused. Some of them claimed that they were deceived because they did not know that they were having sex with a drunk woman. Others claimed that they were lured into a “threesome” by her husband, and that Pelicot allegedly told them that his wife was pretending to be asleep because she was shy. Some said that they had “their husband's permission” and thought that was enough. Some of them believed that this woman agreed to give drugs.
“The defendants are trying to avoid responsibility by saying they think Giselle Pelicot consented,” Chaboud said Monday. – But today, in 2024, this cannot be taken into account, – he added. He emphasized that the records and photographs presented in court clearly indicate that this woman is unconscious.
Giselle Pélicot leaves the criminal court in Avignon, France, November 25, 2024PAP/EPA/YOAN VALAT
The prosecution is demanding 17 years in prison for 63-year-old Jean-Pierre Marechal. This man not only confessed to the rape of Giselle Pelicott, but in collaboration with Pelicott, he drugged his 54-year-old wife Celia. Marechal is accused of raping or attempting to rape Celia 12 times. Pelicote is accused of participating in ten of these attacks. The men met through a now-defunct website.
The verdict is expected to be announced around December 20.
Giselle Pelicote: it's time to change this patriarchal society
Giselle Pelicot wanted a public trial and hoped to help other women. He wanted to show that victims have nothing to be ashamed of. – I will learn to live with it, I will rebuild myself. But these 51 people who disgraced me will remain forever, he said in court.
In a recent statement, he said, “It's time to change this patriarchal 'macho' society that trivializes violence… It's time to change the way we view violence.”
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The judgment sparked a debate over changes to rape laws in France. According to the current draft of the French Criminal Code, rape is “any act of sexual penetration” carried out using “violence, coercion, threats or surprise”. The absence of even one of the elements mentioned in the definition is equal to the absence of signs of a crime.
READ MORE: Project to change the definition of rape in France. In the background there is a surprising incident
Reuters, tvn24.pl, CBS News
Main photo source: PAP/EPA/YOAN VALAT
