Dozens of men, including Gisele Pericot’s ex-husband, have been found guilty of raping and sexually assaulting her in a landmark trial that has shocked France.
Perico, 72, entered the courthouse in the southern town of Avignon to cheers and applause from a crowd of supporters, holding a large banner across from the building that read “MERCI GISELE,” or “Thank you, Gisele.” Arrived.
After entering the courtroom, she watched as Chief Judge Roger Arata sentenced her husband, Dominic Perricotte, to 20 years in prison. He previously pleaded guilty to drugging her and inviting dozens of men to rape her while she was unconscious for more than a decade.
A further 46 men were found guilty of rape, two of attempted rape and two of sexual assault in the high-profile case, according to Sky News, NBC News’ UK broadcasting partner. . They ranged in age from 26 to 74 and received sentences ranging from three to 13 years. In total, they would function for over 400 years.
About 15 defendants admitted the facts, but only a few expressed remorse prior to sentencing.
The Associated Press reported that in the side room, the defendants’ families watched the trial unfold on television screens, with some crying and gasping as the verdict was announced.
About 200 police officers were expected to be in and around the court, which was filled with emotions and families of the defendants, spectators and journalists from around the world. More than 150 journalists were authorized to cover the trial, which many activists see as a watershed moment for women’s rights in France.
At an earlier hearing, Ms Pericotte learned of the horrors she had endured after her husband was caught by security guards filming upskirts of women with his smartphone, leading police to begin investigating him. It became clear that it was time.
Investigators said they found a video on her husband’s device that suggested she was the victim of a serious crime.
Although she could have remained anonymous, she requested that the trial be held in public and instructed her lawyers to fight to reveal the damning video and other evidence in open court.
She said she was doing this to end a “macho, patriarchal society that trivializes rape.”
Campaigners against sexual violence had hoped that Pericot’s case would be a turning point in the fight against rape culture and the difficulties victims of sexual violence often face in obtaining justice.
And in France, 75% of women believe they are not treated equally in a 2024 government survey and want to transform a society where 230,000 women reported not being treated equally last year. , some of them told NBC News earlier this week. Became a victim of sexual violence.
“We have a big problem with French law,” said Magalie Lafourcade, executive director of the National Human Rights Advisory Council. “There are many situations that are not rape according to French law, but are considered rape in the eyes of the victim.”
Contributed by Linda Harview.
