17 men are appealing against convictions

Dominic Bellico, the 72-year-old man who drugged and raped his wife Giselle and recruited dozens of men to rape her over a decade, will not appeal his 20-year prison sentence, his lawyer Beatrice Zavaro said.

However, 17 of the 49 men found guilty of raping or sexually assaulting Ms Bellicot at Dominique's request said they would appeal the ruling.

More could follow before the appeals window closes at midnight on December 30.

Ms Zavaro told French media that Dominique Bellicot – who has pleaded guilty – decided not to appeal because he did not want to inflict a “new ordeal” on Ms Bellicot, who attended court for the vast majority of the 15-week trial.

“He felt that this decision was consistent with the position he had always taken at trial, which was that Ms. Bellicott was not and never was his adversary,” Zavaro said, adding that Dominique Bellicott wanted to “get closure” with this matter. issue.

He will have to be present in court as a witness during the appeal trial.

Although Ms. Bellico is not obligated to attend the proceedings, her lawyer Stephane Babonneau told French media that she “will confront those who have appealed. She is not afraid of that, although she would clearly have preferred it to end here.”

Under French law, a new trial must be held within the next 12 months. However, unlike the first trial, it will be judged by three judges and a jury of nine members of the public.

While this will not necessarily lead to harsher sentences, the trial's outsized resonance and media coverage may mean that the jury ends up being less lenient than the judges.

Lawyer Hansu Yalaz told the BBC that although they would be closely scrutinized, “the jury members are human beings like you and me, and they may have preconceived notions.”

Among the men who have appealed is Charlie Arbaugh, now 30, who was jailed for 13 years for raping Ms Bellicott on six separate occasions when he was in his early 20s.

Construction worker Simone McKennisi (43 years old) and nurse Radwan Al-Fraihi (55 years old), who were sentenced to nine and eight years in prison respectively, also appealed.

Several of the men said Bellicott had “manipulated” them into raping his wife, and that they were unaware she had not given consent.

“From the beginning, my client has said that he… never intended to rape Giselle Bellicot,” McKennessy's lawyer, Yannick Prat, said, adding that the nine-year prison sentence was “disproportionate.”

He acknowledged that the prospect of facing a popular jury could result in a harsher sentence, but said he would be “absolutely happy” to work with jurors.

“I will ask them to put themselves in the shoes of each party in this trial,” he said.

Lawyer Louis Alain Lemire said one of his clients, who was sentenced to eight years in prison, appealed the conviction because “there was no criminal intent on his part.”

But other defense attorneys feel an appeal would be a risky gamble.

On the day of the sentencing, lawyer Patrick Gontard told the BBC that while appeals are usually made in the hope of getting a few years off a prison sentence, all of the men – including his client – had already been given lighter sentences. The prosecutor asked.

Dominic Bellico – once described by his daughter Caroline as “one of the worst sexual predators of the last 20 years” – drugged, raped and incited others to rape his wife Giselle for at least a decade.

He photographed many rape cases, allowing investigators to track down dozens of men. Fifty of them were eventually arrested, but about 20 were never identified and are believed to remain at large.

The court convicted 47 of the men of rape, two of attempted rape, and two of sexual assault.

Six men were allowed out of court, in most cases, because of time they had already spent in pretrial detention.

The proceedings – which lasted from September to December – received global attention thanks to Giselle Bellico's decision to surrender her identity and open the trial to the public and the media.

She said she did it in order to help other rape victims: “I want them to say: If Madame Bellicot did it, I can do it too.”

She said: “Victims of rape often feel ashamed, but we do not have the right to feel ashamed. Rather, it is our duty to be ashamed.”