EXPLAINED: Case against French man Dominique Pelicot convicted of ‘mass rape’ of wife explains news

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French mass rape trial: In a case that shocked the world when it came to light earlier this year, Frenchman Dominique Pellicot was sentenced to 20 years on Thursday (December 19) for drugging and raping his wife and inviting more than 70 other men to do the same. years in prison.

Dominic reportedly invited men of various ages, professions, races and backgrounds to sexually assault his wife, Gisele, at his home. She chose to forego hiding her identity and hold a public trial where she would “be ashamed of exchanging positions.”

Here’s what to know about the case, the court’s decision and how it has impacted the conversation about sexual abuse in France in recent months.

What is Dominic Pellicott’s case?

Pellicott, 72, is a retired power company worker. In 1973, he married Gisele and they had three children. according to a report new york timesGisele, 72, has been the main breadwinner of her family since early on, working as a manager at a large listed company. They also have grandchildren.

He first came to police attention in 2010 when he photographed women’s skirts and dresses at a local market near Paris. He was arrested and fined for taking “indecent images”, although Gisele told the court she was unaware of the incident at the time.

In 2011, he began drugging his wife and mixing substances in her food and drinks. She then began experiencing long periods where she thought she was sleeping all the time for no reason. She also couldn’t remember what she had done the night before and believed she had an Alzheimer’s-like disease.

The couple retired in 2013 and moved to the southern French town of Mazan. It was here that Dominic drugged his wife and began soliciting strangers into their house after inviting them to rape her.

Police found he had more than 20,000 photos and videos in total, in folders with titles such as “Abuse,” “Her Rapist,” and “A Night Alone.” However, police did not discover them until 2020 when they were investigating Dominique’s practice of photographing women up their skirts at another market. His mobile phone, memory cards and other electronic devices were confiscated. It was then that investigators first realized the extent of the abuse and Gisele was called in.

What happened during the trial?

Dominic admitted the charges against him and was found guilty on all counts. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison – the maximum sentence under French law. according to British Broadcasting Corporationhe was found guilty of aggravated rape of his now ex-wife, attempted aggravated rape of the wife of one of his co-accused and taking indecent photographs of his daughter and two daughters-in-law.

Through the videos and photos he took, 50 of the 72 men involved were identified and put on trial. Most of them deny the rape accusations, claiming they were unaware Gisele was drugged, or that they believed she willingly consented to being drugged, or that they believed her husband had given her consent.

All were found guilty, some of aggravated rape, and sentenced to between five and 13 years in prison. They have 10 days to appeal the ruling.

In a speech outside the court, Gisele respects the verdict and thanked her supporters, victims’ associations and others. “I believe that together we have the ability to find a better future where men and women can live together in harmony and with mutual respect,” she said.

Spread across France

Many people ask “why?”, expressing shock at the fact that abuse on such a massive scale occurred and went unnoticed for years. Given that there is no common thread between these men, this prompts discussion about the role of wider, pervasive rape culture – how society at large rationalizes and normalizes rape cases so that they are not viewed as serious crimes.

Take, for example, the story of the first person identified by police. A report comes from The Guardian Note: “…Adrian L, the privately educated son of a local businessman. He allegedly raped Gisele in her bedroom in March 2014, when he was 23 and she was 62 Years old. He told the court that he had developed a “hatred” of women since discovering that his ex-girlfriend’s daughter was not his biological child. Earlier this year, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison for raping and violently assaulting three ex-girlfriends in 2017 and 2018. , and “As long as the husband is present, it is not rape.” In court, he denied it again, saying he had no idea Gisele had been drugged.

The case has sparked intense concern among the women around Gisele, calling for the country to change its attitude towards crimes against women. The typical idea of ​​the rapist – an outsider, unknown, someone lurking in the shadows – is also challenged. In most cases around the world, women have experienced violence and abuse at the hands of men they know.

Some have also called for rape laws to be changed to improve low conviction rates. The role of online platforms, including unregulated websites that enabled Pellicott to send messages to others, has also come under scrutiny, raising concerns that such crimes could occur anywhere in the world.

(AP input attached)

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