20-Year Prison Sentence Demanded for Husband in Rape Case of Gisèle Pelicot

avignon - French prosecutors have demanded a twenty-year prison sentence for Dominique Pelicot, the main suspect in a large-scale rape case involving his wife, Gisèle Pelicot.

Twenty years is the maximum penalty for rape in France. The public prosecutor stated, "That is a lot," when presenting the demand. However, he also added, "At the same time, it is not enough considering the seriousness of the acts committed." Dominique Pelicot, 71, is on trial along with fifty other defendants who were identified based on video footage he recorded of the rapes.

The prosecutors began defining the penalties on Monday and have until Wednesday to pronounce them for all the defendants. Most of the accused claim they were not aware that Gisèle was drugged and did not intend to rape her, despite video evidence of the rapes. They shift all the blame onto Dominique, accusing him of manipulating them.

The case has garnered global attention. Gisèle could have opted for a closed-door trial, but deliberately chose a public trial to expose the sexual violence that had occurred. Thousands of people in France took to the streets to support Gisèle.

Gisèle, 74, has since divorced Dominique. Their children also strongly denounced their father during the trial.