AVIGNON, FRANCE (AP) – A court in France yesterday sentenced the ex-husband of Gisèle Pelicot to a maximum 20 years of imprisonment for drugging and sexually assaulting her and allowing other men to assault her while she was knocked out, in abuse that lasted nearly a decade.
The sentence against Dominique Pelicot was declared after he was found guilty of all charges against him. At age 72, it could mean that he spends the rest of his life in prison.
The verdict was read by the lead judge of the court in Avignon, Roger Arata.
Arata read out verdicts one after the other against Pelicot and 50 other men, declaring “you are therefore declared guilty of aggravated assault on the person of Gisèle Pelicot” as he worked his way through the first names on the list.
Gisèle Pelicot was seated on one side of the courtroom, facing the defendants as Arata announced one guilty verdict after another.
The historic case has profoundly shaken France over the past several months.
