At Mazan rape trial, lawyers plead for reduced sentences, even acquittal

Photo: Christophe Simon Agence France-Presse Gisèle Pelicot leaves the Avignon courthouse after a hearing in the trial of her former husband Dominique Pelicot, who is accused of drugging her for nearly ten years and inviting strangers to rape her at their home in Mazan, a small town in southern France, on November 26, 2024.

Philippe Siuberski – Agence France-Presse in Avignon

Published at 9:22 a.m. Updated at 2:36 p.m.

• Europe

For the first time since the start of the pleadings in the serial rape trial in France, the defense of one accused pleaded for acquittal on Monday, others for a suspended sentence or sentences significantly lower than those requested by the prosecution.

Dominique Pelicot, against whom the maximum sentence of 20 years in prison was requested last week, has always admitted to having drugged his ex-wife Gisèle without her knowledge for a decade, to rape her and have her raped by dozens of men at their home in Mazan (southern France).

And all these men were informed that she would be unconscious, he has always maintained.

In their indictment, the two attorneys general had supported this theory by requesting sentences of between 10 and 18 years in prison for Dominique Pelicot's 49 co-defendants, tried for rape or attempted rape since September 2 by the criminal court of Vaucluse, in Avignon (south).

Fiftieth co-accused, Joseph C., 69, is an exception: only prosecuted for “sexual assault”, for not having had an erection, he saw the public prosecutor request a four-year prison sentence with a committal warrant against him.

“On the one hand, you have the “ogre of Mazan”, perverse, egocentric, diabolical, with colossal responsibility. And on the other hand, there are the little thumbs, the little fish, duped, deceived, taken for a ride,” his lawyer, Christophe Bruschi, argued on Monday.

Joseph C. “had plans to have a libertine affair but he categorically denies knowing that Ms. Pelicot would be drugged,” the lawyer insisted, requesting “acquittal.”

200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000

“Marionette”

“I could have argued for acquittal too, but that was not what my client requested,” then explained Paul-Roger Gontard, lawyer for Cyrille D., a 54-year-old construction worker against whom the public prosecutor requested 12 years of seclusion.

Unlike most of the accused, Cyrille D. admitted to being “guilty of rape” because he did not “have the consent” of Gisèle Pelicot. “I was naive, stupid, an ass,” admitted in court this man who is accused of having inserted his penis into the mouth of the unconscious Gisèle Pelicot.

Faced with the “manoeuvres” of Dominique Pelicot, who had made him “the puppet of his own desire”, he “had lost the ability” to exercise his free will, argued his lawyer, asking that his “impaired discernment” at the time of the events be taken into account.

M. Gontard requested a sentence lower than the 12 years requested by the prosecution, also demanding that it be accompanied by a suspended probationary period, “to prevent him from going back to prison.”

In their arguments on Wednesday and Thursday, the lawyers for the first five accused, including Dominique Pelicot, pleaded guilty, but considered the prosecution's demands to be very exaggerated.

Read also

• The maximum sentence of 20 years requested against Dominique Pelicot at the Mazan rape trial
• The prosecution hopes for a verdict that brings hope to the victims at the Mazan rape trial
• Harsh indictment against the Dominique Pelicot's co-accused at the Mazan rape trial

Taking into account personality

Antoine Minier, who is defending three defendants, also expressed his “incomprehension” on Monday regarding the severity of the prosecution, recalling that the sentence must take into account the “seriousness of the facts”, but also the personality of the defendants and their capacity for rehabilitation.

For Saifeddine G., against whom the prosecution requested 10 years of imprisonment, the lawyer requested a sentence that “will allow him to go free”. This 37-year-old truck driver only “mimed” penetration, which constitutes sexual assault, for which he should be punished, but not rape or attempted aggravated rape, argued Mr. Minier.

Paul G., 31, has “admitted to the facts since his first hearing,” continued the lawyer, asking the court “not to follow” the 10 years required for a man tried for facts more than eight years old and who has since been fully rehabilitated.

As for Abdelali D., a 47-year-old cook who came twice to Mazan, against whom 13 years were requested, he must be “sentenced accordingly”, but also taking into account a state of health “incompatible with detention” since his stroke in 2019, Mr. Minier considered.

The pleadings will resume on Tuesday and will continue until December 13. The verdict is expected no later than December 20.