Following three months of harrowing legal proceedings, Gisele Pelicot’s ex-husband – and 50 men he recruited to sexually abuse her over the course of a decade – were this week sentenced for their crimes.
In a case that has shocked the world, Dominique Pelicot, dubbed the “Beast of Avignon”, was found to have spent a decade drugging his wife and organising for strangers he met online to rape her unconscious body.
An electrician nearing retirement, Pelicot’s crimes were discovered when he was caught up-skirting a woman in a supermarket, leading police to find his catalogue of more than 20,000 videos documenting the abuses he facilitated at their home in southeastern France.
On Thursday, he was jailed for 20 years as five judges returned their verdicts at Avignon’s Palais de Justice.
Of the 50 men who stood trial alongside him – three quarters of whom had families of their own, and worked in roles such as firefighters, journalists, nurses, and prison guards – 47 were found guilty of rape, two of attempted rape, and two of sexual assault. They were jailed for a total of 428 years.
Here are some of the questions that remain unanswered following this week’s verdict.
Could Gisele Pelicot return to the courtroom?
Having spent three months in court facing down the men who abused her, the 72-year-old has become an icon and symbol of courage to many, with scores of supporters waiting outside the court to applaud her each day.
Following the verdict, her lawyer Stephane Babonneau said: “At the start of the trial she said: ‘If I last two weeks, that will be a lot.’ In the end, she made it to three and a half months. Now, she is at peace, and relieved it’s all over.”
However it remains unclear whether Gisele could return to court if a number of those convicted are to appeal.
On Friday, French media reported that the lawyer for Redouan El Farihi, 55, and Ahmed Tbarik, 54, had lodged appeals after they were each found guilty of rape and sentenced to eight years in prison. Dominique Pelicot is also said to be considering appealing against his jail sentence.
While those convicted will have 10 days to lodge an appeal, Ms Babonneau told France Inter radio: “In any case, she has no fear of it [another trial], that is what she told us.”
Is Dominique Pelicot guilty of further crimes?
Investigators are now formally probing whether Pelicot could have been a serial offender prior to the crimes he committed against his wife between 2011 and 2020.
