Prosecutors Demand Most Severe Punishment in France's Largest Rape Trial

Prosecutors will demand the most severe penalties for the 51 men accused of raping Gisèle Pelicot.

Prosecutors began presenting their recommendations for verdicts and sentences on Monday, in the case of the 71-year-old woman drugged by her husband Dominique Pelicot and raped by the dozens of men he recruited online

The case has become one of the largest and most harrowing rape trials in the nation's history.

Since the start of the trial, Gisèle Pelicot has become a symbol of resilience and a rallying figure for campaigners against sexual violence around the world.

Gisele Pelicot, who was allegedly drugged by her now former husband so that he and others could assault her, arrives at the courthouse, in Avignon, southern France, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. Pelicot has become an... Lewis Joly/AP

Prosecutors will give their recommendations after nearly three months of hearings in the southern city of Avignon, France.

Gisèle Pelicot was married for almost 50 years to Dominique Pelicot, who admitted to drugging his wife with sedatives for years to facilitate her rape.

He not only abused her himself but also invited strangers to do the same, meticulously cataloging his crimes in a vast digital archive.

Maximum Penalty of 20 Years

Prosecutor Laure Chabaud called for the maximum penalty for Dominique Pelicot of 20 years in prison for aggravated rape.

"Twenty years between the four walls of a prison," she said. "It's both a lot and not enough."

Dominique Pelicot, who turns 72 this week, stared down at the floor, one hand on the handle of his cane, while the prosecutor spoke.

His lawyer, Béatrice Zavarro, acknowledged that the call for the maximum sentence was expected.

"There's no surprise in asking for 20 years, and that's what I personally expected. But it's still a shocking and heavy sentence for a man who'll be 72 in a few days," she said.

Gisèle Pelicot's 'Courage'

Gisèle Pelicot divorced her husband after the abuse came to light.

Since then, she has waived her right to anonymity and insisted on the presentation of explicit video evidence in court.

The footage, filmed by her husband, shows her unconscious and audibly snoring during some of the assaults.

"This woman was you, Madame Gisèle Pelicot, an ordinary woman," said prosecutor Jean-François Mayet, turning to her, while he praised her courage on Monday and lauded her desire to make public shame fall on rapists and not their victims.

Mayet reminded the court that the trial coincided with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women "France faces a long path for our society to change its view of rape culture," he said.

As prosecutors recounted the decade-long abuse, Gisèle Pelicot sat quietly, sometimes looking toward the ceiling.

Verdicts for Codefendants

Investigators revealed that Dominique Pelicot had meticulously stored 20,000 photos and videos of the assaults on hard drives, memory sticks, and phones.

The evidence helped identify many of the men involved, though approximately 20 remain unidentified.

All but one of the 51 defendants face charges of aggravated rape.

Mayet asked of the defendants "When did they ask the question of Madame Pelicot's consent? Not before. Not during."

Many claimed during earlier testimony that they believed Gisèle Pelicot was a consenting participant in a sexual fantasy.

Dominique Pelicot himself admitted his guilt during the trial, and said his codefendants were fully aware of the situation when he invited them to his home in Provence between 2011 and 2020. The court's verdicts are expected before December 20.

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press