Gisèle Pelicot’s ex-husband Dominique and 50 others found guilty in mass rape trial

This court-sketch shows Gisele Pelicot during the hearing in Avignon, France, on December 19.

A leading human rights lawyer has said she was “surprised by the leniency” of many of the sentences handed out to Gisèle Pelicot’s rapists, but explained why they may have been shorter than prosecutors had sought.

Catherine Le Magueresse, president of the European Association Against Violence Toward Women, told CNN that the judge may have given more lenient sentences to avoid the convicted men launching an appeal.

Earlier, a source close to the case also told CNN that judges had handed down varying sentences to limit the number of appeals lodged.

Le Magueresse said an appeal would “be horrifying” for Pelicot. “We know how tough it was for her to go through those weeks of the trial,” she said.

Whereas the trial that just concluded was heard by a panel of judges, a new trial would require a public jury, Le Magueresse said.

However, Le Magueresse added that the prosecutors can also launch an appeal of their own if they feel the sentences were too lax. Both sides have 10 days to decide whether to lodge an appeal.

Dominique Pelicot used a website called Coco.fr to recruit over 70 men to rape his then-wife, Gisèle Pelicot. Hosted on the open web, Coco was easy to access and entirely unmoderated, allowing discussions encouraging sexual abuse.

Antoine Camus, the lawyer for Gisèle Pelicot, has previously likened the Coco website to the “murder weapon” used by Dominique Pelicot. Although the site has been shut down, a CNN investigation uncovered several French websites where sexual violence towards women is still being encouraged and promoted.

CNN investigated one website which has been trying to take Coco’s place, using tools to extract 6,000 messages from 30 chatrooms for 24 hours.

After going through the messages, clear parallels were found between messages sent by Pelicot to recruit men and messages on the new site.

Women were repeatedly referred to using derogatory and objectifying language, many users offered to trade their wives and girlfriends with each other and multiple intimate images of women were shared on this site.

CNN asked women in the town of Mazan where Dominique Pelicot carried out his crimes, how they felt about the rise of these new websites.

“For these websites, it’s a kind of marvelous thing what happened with Gisèle Pelicot it brings them advertising without anything to pay. But it means also that if Coco existed, the other websites will go on existing,” Nedeljka Macan said.

Gisèle Pelicot waived her anonymity throughout the trial of her then-husband and 48 other men who raped her.

Watch the moment she says she never regretted doing so after their verdicts were handed down.

This post has been updated to correct the number of men found guilty of rape.

Video Ad Feedback

Gisèle Pelicot says she never regretted going public

00:27 - Source: CNN

Gisele Pelicot speaks to the press as she leaves the courtroom in the Avignon France, on December 19.

Gisèle Pelicot has said she “never regretted” making her name public in the trial, in brief remarks outside the courtroom following the sentencing of her ex-husband and dozens of other men for her mass rape.

Pelicot took the brave and unorthodox decision to waive her anonymity at the trial’s outset.

Under French law, she could have asked for the trial to be kept behind closed doors. But Pelicot said she wanted to make the horrors of her case known to give other victims of sexual violence the courage to speak up.

“I have faith now in our capacity to carve out collectively a future where women and men can live in harmony, in respect and mutual understanding,” she added.

During the trial, Pelicot said she had waived her anonymity because “it is time for society to look at this macho, patriarchal society and change the way it looks at rape.”

Outside the court, dozens of activists had gathered to show their support for Pelicot. “Merci!” they chanted after 51 men were sentenced.

Other campaigners expressed disappointment after most of the men were given shorter sentences than prosecutors had asked for, including a few who walked free after receiving suspended sentences.

It was on a so-called dating website that Dominique Pelicot was able to chat freely with others about sexual violence and instigate rapes of his then-wife, Gisele Pelicot.

Dominique Pelicot chatted regularly in a forum called “without her knowledge” on Coco.fr, a website hosting several unmoderated chatrooms glorifying sexual violence.

It was here, over a nearly 10-year period, that he enlisted dozens of men to rape his wife at their home in the sleepy southern French village of Mazan, according to messages obtained by police.

These messages have served as key evidence in the trial of Dominique Pelicot and 50 co-defendants.

CNN gained exclusive access to those police reports containing thousands of the messages exchanged by Pelicot with these men in chatrooms, on Skype and over text.

You can read CNN’s exclusive reporting at the link below.

Gisele Pelicot poses in Avignon, on October 23, 2024, during the trial of her former partner accused of drugging her for nearly ten years and inviting strangers to rape her at their home in Mazan, a small town in the south of France. A court in the French southern town of Avignon is trying Dominique Pelicot, a 71-year-old retiree, for repeatedly raping and enlisting dozens of strangers to rape his heavily sedated wife in her own bed over a decade. Fifty other men, aged between 26 and 74, are also on trial for alleged involvement, in a case that has horrified France. The court proceedings, which runs until December, are open to the public at the request of Dominique Pelicot's ex-wife and victim. (Photo by Christophe SIMON / AFP) (Photo by CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP via Getty Images)

Related card Dominique Pelicot is accused of organizing the mass rape of his wife. Texts from police show how he operated

Gisèle Pelicot has thanked “everyone who supported me throughout this lengthy trial,” speaking after the sentencing of 50 men accused of assaulting her in court today.

Pelicot also thanked the victims’ associations and lawyers who worked with her, and thanked journalists who followed the case from the start, saying their daily reporting was “faithful, respectful and worthy.”

Gisele Pelicot addresses the press as she leaves the courthouse after hearing the verdict of the court that sentenced her ex-husband to the maximum term of 20 years jail in Avignon, France, on December 19.

Gisèle Pelicot, an icon in the fight against sexual violence, has told reporters outside the courtroom that it’s with a “deep emotion that I stand today in front of you.”

“This process has been extremely difficult and at this moment I think first of my three children: David, Caroline and Florian,” she said.

“I’m also thinking of all the other families affected by this drama. Finally: I think of all the unrecognized victims of stories which often unfold in the shadows. I want you to know we share the same fight,” she added.

For over a decade Gisèle Pelicot was repeatedly drugged unconscious, then raped by her then-husband Dominique Pelicot.

Forty-nine other men were found guilty of raping her in an Avignon court today, with one man found guilty of sexual assault.

French politicians are thanking Gisèle Pelicot for her courage on Thursday, following the sentencing of her ex-husband Dominique and dozens of other men for drugging and raping her.

Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of the French National Assembly, wrote on social media that the world is “no longer the same” thanks to Gisèle.

Aurore Bergé, who was France’s minister for equality between women and men until a reshuffle in September, said that through Gisèle Pelicot’s “dignity and courage,” she made “the change society needs” possible.

Mathilde Panot, president of the left-wing La France Insoumise parliamentary group, said that Gisèle Pelicot embodies “the end of shame for victims” and the “end of impunity for rapists.”

David Pelicot, the eldest son of Gisèle and Dominique, briefly greeted supporters outside the courtroom, after his father and dozens of others were found guilty of raping his mother.

He did not speak, but waved to the crowd as they applauded him.

During the trial, David Pelicot told the court his family had been “destroyed” by his father’s crimes.

This court-sketch made on December 19, 2024 in Avignon shows Gisele Pelicot during the hearing.

Campaigners wanted strong sentences handed down to the men found guilty of raping Gisèle Pelicot, arguing that all involved were just as culpable as her former husband Dominique.

While Dominique Pelicot received the maximum 20-year-sentence, other men were given shorter sentences than expected, including a few who walked free after receiving suspended sentences.

A women’s rights campaigner, Olympe Desanges, said “as a woman and as a feminist, I feel disappointed and humiliated by these verdicts.”

Nedeljka Macan, from Mazan, the small town where the crimes took place, told CNN on the phone she was “shocked because the sentences are much shorter than what we had expected. All those men who are walking free today, it’s an insult!”

But a source close to the case said judges deliberately wanted to differentiate the sentences to differentiate between the seriousness of the crimes. They also hope that by handing down varying sentences, it will limit the number of appeals lodged, the source said.

This post has been updated.

Dominique Pelicot has been handed a 20-year prison sentence for repeatedly raping and enlisting dozens of men to abuse his then-wife Gisèle Pelicot.

All 51 men on trial were found guilty, bringing to an end the mass rape case that has shocked France and much of the world.

Gisèle Pelicot, who waived her anonymity to help other victims of sexual violence, has been cheered by her supporters outside the courtroom in Avignon, France. But some are shocked that the dozens of convicted rapists have not received longer sentences.

Here’s the latest developments.

A view of Mazan, France.

Life has utterly changed for women living in Mazan, the town in the southeast of France where Dominique Pelicot organized the mass rape of his wife over 10 years.

The 49 other men convicted of abusing Gisèle Pelicot all lived within a 30-mile radius of the house she shared with her then-husband.

CNN visited Mazan and spoke to local women before the trial concluded.

Annette Dumont said that “it could very well happen again tomorrow in another place.”

“I don’t feel at ease here in the streets,” another resident, Nedeljka Macan, who has lived in the town for more than a decade, told CNN.

Describing the area as “quiet and nice,” Macan said that now residents “don’t know if somebody who is in the next shop is one of these men. It changed everything.”

Responding to the verdict on Thursday, Macan told CNN she has been “glued” to her television.

Beatrice Zavarro, the lawyer of Dominique Pelicot, talks to journalists after the verdict at the courthouse in Avignon, France, on December 19.

The lawyer for Dominique Pelicot, Beatrice Zavarro has told reporters outside court that his legal team is considering lodging an appeal, but has not yet made a decision.

“We don’t have the authority to critique a judicial decision,” only to appeal it, she said.

“At the moment as I am talking to you no decision has been taken,” she said.

Zavarro continued, pointing out that she felt her client had been made the scapegoat of the trial.

“At the start of this trial I said Mr Pelicot wasn’t the conductor of this operation and the other men weren’t the musicians. I think in in announcing this verdict the court has condemned the head of this orchestra, differentiating him and the different musicians who make up this orchestra,” she said.

One of the defendants arrives at the courthouse on December 19.

The men today found guilty of raping of Gisèle Pelicot were named colloquially across France as “Monsieur-Tout-Le-Monde,” which translates to “Mr. EveryMan.”

The name references the fact that the men were from a cross section of society. The youngest defendant is 27, while the oldest is 74.

Their professions range from a nurse, journalist, someone in the military, hotel manager, teacher and a prison guard.

Frenchwoman Gisele Pelicot attends the verdict in the trial for Dominique Pelicot and 50 co-accused, at the courthouse in Avignon, France, on December 19.

Gisèle Pelicot has quietly made her way out of the courtroom after all 51 defendants were found guilty of abusing her.

During the sentencing, she mostly nodded her head. As she left, she showed little expression.

Although many of the men have received shorter sentences than prosecutors had asked for, some of the most egregious offenders have received sentences lasting more than a decade.

Romain V., who visited the Pelicot house six times, has been handed a 15-year prison sentence.

Charly A., who also visited six times, has been given 13 years.

There has been shock at the sentencing. One woman collapsed on the floor, yelling “the bastard only got 20 years!” in reference to Dominique Pelicot.

At least five of the men charged with the aggravated rape of Gisèle Pelicot will walk free from court this evening, as some of them have already served prison time and others were handed suspended sentences.

Forty-nine men were found guilty of charges of rape, and two charge of sexual assault in court today.

“Several of the convicted men will not be taking to prison immediately because of their health. A few more days of freedom while we find a suitable prison,” Presiding Judge Roger Arata said as the sentences were being handed down.

One of the defendant arrives at the courthouse in Avignon on December 19.

All 51 defendants have been found guilty of the charges against them, but many have been handed sentences shorter than those asked for by prosecutors.

Jacques C. was handed a 5-year suspended prison sentence, meaning he will walk out of court today. Some gasped inside the courtroom as his sentence was read out.

Cyrille D., Lionel R. and Boris M. were handed 8-year prison sentences, although the prosecutor had asked for 12-year sentences.

Christian L. was handed 9-year sentence. Caroline Darian – Gisèle and Dominique Pelicot’s daughter, sitting in the courtroom, reacted by saying “this isn’t possible.”

One of the accused, Redouan A., was found guilty of aggravated rape, but because he has been diagnosed as schizophrenic by an expert, the presiding judge has granted him a reduced sentence because his “judgment was impaired.”

Feminist campaigner Sirine Sehl told CNN affiliate BFMTV that campaigners were disappointed by the “weak” sentences requested by prosecutors. She said she hopes these sentences would be “adapted.”

This court-sketch made on December 19, 2024 in Avignon shows Dominique Pelicot during the hearing.

As the verdicts are read out, Dominique Pelicot is bent over and crying in court.

As well as being found guilty of all charges against his former wife, Dominique Pelicot was also found guilty on Thursday of charges against his daughter and daughters-in-law.

Pelicot was found guilty of making and distributing images of a sexual nature of his daughter Caroline, as well as two other women, the wives of his sons.

Caroline and her brother David are sat apart from Gisèle in the court room. Earlier this morning, Caroline was seen crying as her father entered the room.

As the verdicts were read out, Gisèle Pelicot leaned forward to see the faces of the men.

Jean-Pierre Marechal has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after being found guilty of raping and drugging his wife.

Marechal, 63, said he had used Dominique Pelicot’s methods against Giséle Pelicot to abuse his own wife, Cilia M.

His sentence is significantly shorter than the 17-year sentence asked for by prosecutors.