Photo: Christophe Simon Agence France-Presse Feminist groups put up a banner Sunday evening in front of the court to demand harsh sentences for the co-defendants of Dominique Pelicot, who drugged, raped and had his wife, Gisèle, raped by dozens of men.
Published at 8:11
The prosecution continued its harsh demands on Tuesday at the extraordinary trial taking place in the south of France, demanding between 12 and 14 years in prison for the co-defendants of Dominique Pelicot, a septuagenarian who drugged, raped and had his wife raped by dozens of men.
Against him, described as the “conductor” of this decade of rapes, the public prosecutor requested on Monday, at the opening of the indictment, the maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
On Tuesday, in one hour, in a tone without emphasis, the attorney general Jean-François Mayet summarized the facts alleged against eight of the last 30 defendants, asking the criminal court of Vaucluse to hand down sentences of 12 years in prison when it delivers its verdict, on December 20 at the latest.
He began with the case of Boris M., 37, who came to the Pelicot home in Mazan on the night of January 26, 2020. Like the other co-accused, he had responded to the husband's invitation.
“He told us in court that he had been lobotomized,” the magistrate recalled. “He said he was a victim, like Ms. Pelicot, of Dominique Pelicot. In reality, he was content with the situation as presented by Dominique Pelicot […] At no time did he seek or obtain Ms. Pelicot's consent given her condition.”
The same sentence of 12 years' imprisonment was then requested against seven other co-accused.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000Against Cyril B., 47, who “was well aware that Mrs. Pelicot should not be woken up.” Against Thierry Pa., 54, according to whom Dominique Pelicot was “solely responsible” for the events. Against Omar D., 36, for whom “the husband’s consent and presence appeared sufficient.” Against Jean T., 52, of whom “nothing indicates that he was drugged” himself, as he had claimed. Against Mahdi D., 36, who says he is “a victim of Dominique Pelicot’s actions.” Against Ahmed T., 54, who “denies any responsibility for the events.” And against Redouane A., 40, who came to Mazan twice to “please the couple”, the attorney general recalled ironically.
The second representative of the prosecution, Laure Chabaud, then took over, demanding 12 years of imprisonment against Lionel R., 44, who said he was participating in “part of a couple's fantasy”.
She then requested 13 years in prison against Florian R., 32, who did not recognize “the intentional element of the offense”, then against Grégory S., 31, who while being “aware of Gisèle Pelicot's altered state” had continued until he ejaculated.
Finally, against Karim S., 38, “one of the rare defendants whose Skype conversations (with Mr. Pelicot) were discovered,” the magistrate requested 14 years of imprisonment.
This second day of the indictment began, as on Monday, in the presence of Gisèle Pelicot, 71, sitting alone on the civil parties' bench, and her ex-husband, also 71, head bowed in the dock.
At this rate, the indictment could be completed by the end of the day on Tuesday, paving the way for Dominique Pelicot's lawyer to present his arguments on Wednesday, probably in the afternoon.
According to Mr. Mayet, the challenge of this trial is to “fundamentally change the relationship between men and women.”
In addition to the 20 years of criminal imprisonment requested against Mr. Pelicot, on Monday, 17 years in prison had been requested against Jean-Pierre M., 63, who had reproduced the same procedure on his own wife. Prison sentences of 4 to 13 years had been requested against the first 19 co-accused, prosecuted for “sexual assault” or aggravated rape.
For 10 years, from July 2011 to October 2020, Dominique Pelicot had overwhelmed his wife with anxiolytics to rape her and have her raped by dozens of men recruited on the Internet, via the now banned website coco.fr.
Fifty of them, now aged 26 to 74, have been identified and have been on trial since September 2. Eighteen, including Mr. Pelicot, appear in custody, 32 others appear free, the last, on the run, being tried in absentia.
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