Gisèle Pelicot arrives in court
Angelique Chrisafis
Gisèle Pelicot has arrived in court, ushered in by rousing applause. She’s wearing a silk scarf, sent to her as a gesture of solidarity by an Australian organisation working to raise awareness of sexual assaults on older women.
Key events
Ahead of the verdicts, the men charged alongside Dominique Pelicot were given the chance to make final statements on Monday. Around half of them simply said “nothing to add”.
Around 15 of them, however, asked Gisèle Pelicot for forgiveness.
“It is indeed your body that I subjected to this rape,” said Cedric G., 51.
“I apologise to Mrs Pelicot, I regret it and I ask her forgiveness,” declared Romain V., 63, one of four accused who responded six times to the invitation that Dominique Pelicot posted online.
Another accused who went six times to the Pelicot family home, Jerome V., 46, said that “whatever sentence” he is given at the end of the week, he will not appeal, “out of respect for the victim, so that she does not have to endure” a new trial. The prosecution has requested a 16-year jail term for him.
Who are the men accused over rape and assault of Gisèle Pelicot?
A total of 51 men are on trial in Avignon, accused of rape and assault alongside Dominique Pelicot. They have little in common; their ages range from 26 to 74, some have children and some have been convicted for other crimes.
Their ranks include a nurse, a journalist, a prison warden, a councillor, a soldier, lorry drivers and farm workers.
Here’s a bit more about the men who are expected to be sentenced today:
Angelique Chrisafis
Gisèle Pelicot’s children, David, a sales manager, Caroline, a communications manager, and Florian, an actor, have arrived in court to hear the verdict alongside her.
Dominique Pelicot – described by his family as the worst sexual predator in recent French history – called himself a family man. He liked cycling in the French countryside on a Sunday, he took his son and grandson to football matches, and he was good at celebrating birthdays.
“My parents had this talent for organising surprise birthday parties for us,” his eldest son, David, has said. “All our friends would be there, and my friends would say how lucky I was to have a dad like that. Everyone adored him at those parties – my friends saw him as a role model. He danced with my friends, he sat down to eat with my friends, and today those friends don’t understand what’s going on.”
Angelique Chrisafis has this piece that delves into the harrowing case that has sent shockwaves around the world:
Gisèle Pelicot arrives in court
Angelique Chrisafis
Gisèle Pelicot has arrived in court, ushered in by rousing applause. She’s wearing a silk scarf, sent to her as a gesture of solidarity by an Australian organisation working to raise awareness of sexual assaults on older women.
A few photos this morning from Avignon, where supporters of Gisèle and women’s rights campaigners have gathered outside the courtroom ahead of the verdicts:
‘It is Gisèle’s name that will be remembered’
Since September, people have lined up outside the courtroom in Avignon, braving the cold, rains and bitter winds to cheer on Gisèle Pelicot.
Pelicot, 72, a former logistics manager and grandmother of seven, has become a feminist hero after insisting that the trial be held in public to raise awareness of the drug-induced rape and abuse. “It’s not for us to have shame, it’s for them,” she has said.
Her courage has helped to galvanise a global conversation on sexual violence and sparked debate in France about whether the legal definition of rape should be expanded to include specific mention of consent.
My colleague Angelique Chrisafis has this piece on the extraordinary bravery and resilience of Gisèle Pelicot:
Angelique Chrisafis
Before dawn, members of the public gathered outside the courtroom to support Gisèle Pelicot in the historic rape trial.
“Justice for Gisèle” shouted one feminist campaigner, carrying a sign saying the accused men should be in prison for Christmas.
“Thanks for your bravery Gisèle,” read another sign.
What verdicts are expected?
The panel of five judges are casting their rulings by secret ballot, with a majority vote required to convict and also for the sentences of those found guilty.
They are expected to give Dominique Pelicot, a 72-year-old retired electrician and estate agent, the maximum 20-year jail term.
Prosecutors had demanded the maximum penalty to be applied in his case, with prosecutor Laure Chabaud telling the court: “Twenty years between the four walls of a prison. It’s both a lot and not enough.”
Fifty other men accused alongside him, most of whom deny the charges, face sentences ranging from 10 to 18 years for those accused of aggravated rape and four years for one accused of sexual aggression. One man is on the run and being tried in his absence.
My colleague Kim Willsher has this look at what is expected today:
Sentencing due in Pelicot rape case
Bonjour, good morning.
For the past three and a half months, all eyes have been on a courtroom in Avignon, France, where 51 men are facing trial in a harrowing mass rape case.
At the centre of the case is Dominique Pelicot who has admitted to regularly crushing sleeping tablets and anti-anxiety medication into his unsuspecting wife’s mashed potato, ice-cream, coffee or beer, and inviting dozens of men to come to the couple’s house in a village in Provence to rape her while she was unconscious.
His actions horrified people across France and around the world. But in an extraordinary move, his wife, Gisèle Pelicot waived her anonymity and insisted the trial be open to the press and public. Her incredible bravery turned her into a feminist icon, one credited with shattering the shame that usually accompanies sexual violence.
This morning the trial is expected to come to an end, with verdicts handed down for the 51 men. Follow along as we bring you all the latest developments.
