Gisele Pelicot (C), escorted by her lawyers Stephane Babonneau (R) and Antoine Camus (L) arrives at the criminal court in Avignon, France, 25 November 2024, where her ex-husband stands trial. Dominique Pelicot is accused of drugging and raping his then-wife, Gisele Pelicot. He is also accused of inviting dozens of men to rape her while she was unconscious at their home in Mazan, France, between 2011 and 2020. Fifty other men are facing trial for their alleged involvement. Dominique Pelicot could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison if convicted. EPA-EFE/YOAN VALAT Pelicot, 71, has admitted to the charges in a trial that attracted worldwide attention and turned into an examination of the pervasiveness of sexual violence in France and beyond.
"The maximum sentence is 20 years, which is a lot... but at the same time ... too little in view of the seriousness of the acts that were committed and repeated," public prosecutor Laure Chabaud told the court.
Most of the 50 other men on trial have said they did not realise they were raping Gisele Pelicot, did not intend to rape her or put all the blame on her then-husband, who they said had manipulated them.
The prosecutors will over the next two days say what sentence they seek against each of them. The verdicts and sentences are expected around Dec. 20.
Dominique Pelicot's lawyer Beatrice Zavarro told reporters it was not a surprise that prosecutors had sought the longest sentence possible.
Gisele Pelicot, also 71, could have demanded the trial be kept behind closed doors, but instead asked for it be held in public, saying she hoped it would help other women speak up and show that victims have nothing to be ashamed of.
Video recorded by her husband and shown in court over the past weeks has repeatedly featured her motionless, sometimes snoring, while the accused, including her husband, abused her.
(Reporting by Marc Leras; Writing by Makini Brice, Ingrid MelanderEditing by Tassilo Hummel and Peter Graff)