Gisèle Pelicot's ex-husband won't appeal 20-year prison sentence for orchestrating mass rapes

Dominique Péllicot, the ex-husband of Gisèle Péllicot, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for drugging and raping her, as well as allowing dozens of other men to rape her while she was unconscious. His lawyer has stated that Dominique will not appeal the verdict. The case has caused widespread shock in France.

Dominique's lawyer, Béatrice Zavarro, stated in an interview with French broadcaster France Info on Monday that Dominique wishes to spare his ex-wife the pain of going through another trial. She also revealed that 17 of the other 50 men convicted this month have decided to appeal their sentences. The trial, which lasted more than three months, has turned 72-year-old Gisèle Péllicot into a symbol against sexual violence.

The court in Avignon, a city in southern France, sentenced the 50 men to prison terms ranging from three to 15 years for the rape, attempted rape, and sexual assault of Gisèle Péllicot. These shocking acts of abuse lasted for nearly a decade, orchestrated by her ex-husband and carried out on her without her knowledge. The court found Dominique Péllicot guilty of rape and all other charges, sentencing him to the maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. This means he will likely spend the rest of his life in prison and will not be eligible for parole until he has served at least two-thirds of his sentence.

Lawyer Zavarro said, "He has decided not to appeal because he thinks it would bring new suffering and confrontation to his (ex-)wife." She also stated, "He thinks that the judicial process should turn the page, that this chapter should be considered closed." The trial has garnered significant attention in France and sparked a national conversation about rape culture.

Dominique Péllicot drugged his wife’s food and drinks with sedatives, rendering her unconscious. He then invited strangers he met online to participate in his fantasies of obscene rape and abuse, which he filmed at the couple's retirement home in the Provençal town of Mazan and elsewhere. The courage Gisèle Péllicot displayed during the brutal trial, and the horrific ordeal she suffered, has inspired activists and sparked calls for stronger measures to combat rape culture. She relinquished her anonymity as a survivor of sexual abuse and successfully pushed for a public trial, including the shocking evidence of her ex-husband’s homemade rape videos, insisting that the shame should fall on her abusers, not herself.