Judges are set to deliver their verdicts in a mass rape trial against 51 men involving Gisèle Pelicot in a historic case that has profoundly shaken the country over the past several months.
Dominique Pelicot, the now ex-husband of the 72-year-old grandmother, is among those in the dock, who admitted that for years, he drugged his wife so he and strangers could abuse her while he filmed it.
Pelicot, also 72, and the 50 other men were tried in the southern French city of Avignon for aggravated rape and attempted rape and face up to 20 years imprisonment if convicted.
Prosecutors asked that he get the maximum penalty and for sentences of 10-18 years for the others. They also requested a four-year prison term for another defendant who was tried for aggravated sexual assault.
Stretching over more than three months, the trial galvanised campaigners against sexual violence and spurred calls for tougher measures to stamp out rape culture.
The proceedings will begin at 9.30 a.m. (0830 GMT) at the Avignon courthouse.
Breaking: The hearing begins
Dominique Pelicot has now arrived at the courthouse and the hearing has begun.
Prosecutors have asked for the maximum 20-year prison sentence for the 72-year-old, who has admitted all the charges.
Most of the 50 other men accused have denied the charges.
Comment | Gisele Pelicot’s ‘descent into hell’ shows once again why women are so furious
The phrase “angry woman” is bandied around as some kind of insult; spat out in the same breath as “angry feminist” or “bra burner” or “calm down, dear”. We’re meant to feel ashamed by the accusation, timid, cowed. We’re meant to retreat into ourselves and shut up. Well, not anymore.
Angry woman? You bet. We are livid. I, personally, am baseball-bat-to-a-glass-window furious that in the past week alone, we’ve seen headlines describing an incredibly courageous woman – Gisele Pelicot – whose life as she knew it disintegrated in 2020 when she discovered her husband had been drugging her and inviting strangers to rape her for years in her own home, while filming it – as “taking public revenge on men”. It’s not revenge to tell the truth. It is bravery. It is justice.
Victoria Richards writes:
In pictures: Crowds support Gisèle Pelicot outside courthouse
What is happening today?
Since September, 51 men have been standing trial accused of the rape and abuse of 73-year-old Gisele Pelicot.
Ms Pelicot’s ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, has pleaded guilty to drugging her repeatedly for nearly a decade, in order to rape her and allow dozens of strangers to have sex with her unconscious body.
Pelicot filmed the abuse, allowing investigators to identify the 50 other defendants. Prosecutors have demanded a maximum 20-year prison sentence for Pelicot and between four 18 years for the other 50 defendants.
The trial has turned Ms Pelicot, who waved her anonymity in an unusual move, into a symbol of courage. She has told the world she is a reluctant hero, hoping only that her actions would help other women to speak up.
Many of the accused have denied the charges, telling the court they believed it was a consensual sex game orchestrated by the couple. They argue it was not rape if the husband approved.
Today, five French judges will issue their verdicts on the case.
Watch live: Gisele Pelicot speaks out after mass rape trial verdicts of 51 defendants including husband
Watch live as Gisele Pelicot is due to deliver a statement following the verdicts in France‘s mass rape trial on Thursday, 19 December.
A panel of five judges will deliver verdicts for more than four dozen men charged with aggravated rape and sexual assault on Ms Pelicot.
Dominique Pelicot, the now ex-husband of the 72-year-old grandmother, is among the men on trial.
He admitted that for years, he drugged his wife of 50 years out so he and strangers he recruited online could abuse her while he filmed the assaults.
Dominique, also 72, and 50 other men were tried in Avignon for aggravated rape and attempted rape and face up to 20 years imprisonment if convicted.
Watch here:
Welcome to the live blog
Good morning and welcome to our live blog.
We’ll bring all the latest as the verdict is set to be delivered on 51 men accused of the raping Gisele Pelicot, in a case which has horrified the world.
Ms Pelicot has arrived at the court in Avignon to crowds of supporters waving signs reading ‘Thank you Gisele’ and ‘Justice for Gisele Pelicot’.
Source: independent.co.uk