Gisele Pelicot wins French landmark gang rape case against her husband

The Star

A French court found Dominique Pelicot guilty on Thursday (Dec 19) of repeatedly drugging and raping his wife Gisele and inviting dozens of strangers to rape her unconscious body in a case that has horrified the world. Dominique was sentenced to 20 years in jail.  WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline

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00:00Huge crowds erupted with joy after 72-year-old Dominique Pellicot was sentenced to 20 years

00:09in prison by a court in France on Thursday over the gang rape of his wife.

00:15They celebrated the landmark victory.

00:17The supporters of the rape victim Giselle Pellicot had gathered outside the court building

00:21to follow the developments of the trial.

00:24The case shocked the world when the 72-year-old Giselle took her husband to court last year.

00:29The trial has attracted worldwide attention and triggered protests around France in support

00:34of Giselle.

00:35I also think of all the other families affected by this tragedy.

00:40I finally think of the unrecognized victims whose stories often remain in the shadows.

00:46I want you to know that we share the same fight.

00:49I wanted, by opening the doors of this trial on September 2nd, that society could seize

00:57the debates that were held there.

00:59I have never regretted this decision.

01:04I now trust in our ability to collectively seize a future in which each woman and man

01:14can live in harmony, in mutual respect and understanding.

01:19Mrs. Pellicot, are you satisfied with the sentences?

01:24I respect the court and the decision of Mr. Darman.

01:31Bravo!

01:32A lot of emotions.

01:34It's a happy day for us.

01:37For the family?

01:38Yes, of course.

01:39What does it mean for France?

01:42It's a message of hope for all the victims of sexual violence today.

01:47We were expecting it.

01:50From the beginning, we think it's not enough, but anyway, we knew it was the maximum sentence.

01:55Dominique Pellicot, who was married to Giselle for 50 years, had pleaded guilty to the charges

02:00of drugging and raping his wife and inviting men to rape her between July 2011 and October

02:072020.

02:08He had apologized to his wife and family over the ordeal.

02:12The court found 46 other defendants guilty of rape, two guilty of attempted rape, and

02:18two guilty of sexual assault, handing down sentences of between 3 and 15 years in jail.

02:24All the accused have 10 days to decide whether to appeal, and Dominique's lawyer said he

02:29was considering the option.

02:31We do not have permission to criticize a decision of justice.

02:36The only manifestation that we can have to contest it, eventually, is an appeal.

02:41And again, I repeat, we will use the 10-day period given to us to make this decision

02:48and to see if we have to be subjected to a popular jury again in the coming months.

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