20 years imprisonment for her ex-husband, Dominic

Dominique Bellicot was jailed for 20 years after drugging and raping his ex-wife Giselle and inviting dozens of strangers to assault her over nearly a decade.

A judge in Avignon, southern France, found the 72-year-old guilty of all charges, and he cried in court as he was sentenced to the maximum term.

He was on trial with 50 other men, all of whom were convicted of at least one charge, although their prison terms were shorter than the prosecution had demanded.

Giselle and her children appeared emotionless as the sentences were read, sometimes looking at the defendants and leaning their heads against the wall.

These convictions bring an end to the largest rape trial ever seen in France, which has shocked the country and the world for three months.

She spoke outside the court after the rulings were issued and next to her family. Giselle Bellicot, 72, said the trial had been a “very difficult ordeal”.

But she said she “never regretted” the decision to make the trial public “so the community could see what was happening.”

Giselle Bellico's decision to waive her automatic right to anonymity was highly unusual, and meant that this trial was held in full view of the public. French and international media followed the case with increasing interest, and hundreds of journalists attended the court on Thursday.

Giselle personally attended almost every day of the trial, appearing in the same courtroom with her husband, to whom she was married for 50 years and whom she has now divorced.

Gisele also offered “deep” thanks to her supporters and said she has “confidence” that there is a “better future” where men and women can live in mutual respect.

In court on Thursday, Dominique Bellicot, who had already confessed to the crimes, was found guilty of aggravated rape.

He was also convicted of attempting to rape the wife of one of his co-defendants, Jean-Pierre Maréchal. Marichal – who was described as Dominic's “disciple” because he drugged and raped his wife for years and called on Dominic to do the same – was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Dominique Bellicot was also found guilty of taking indecent photographs of his daughter, Caroline Darien, and his two daughters-in-law, Aurore and Céline.

Caroline – who was in court on Thursday – had previously told the trial she felt like a “forgotten victim” because, unlike in her mother's case, there was no record of the abuse she was convinced she had been subjected to. Dominic denied drugging and abusing his daughter.

Following the verdicts, Dominique's lawyer said her client was “somewhat distraught” by his sentence and would consider appealing. He has 10 days to decide whether to do so or not.

Of the 50 defendants, 46 were convicted of rape, two of attempted rape, and two of sexual assault. Many of them have already spent several years in prison where they were arrested when police conducted their initial investigations in 2021, and will therefore be out relatively soon.

Most of the men who were tried denied that what they had done was rape.

They said they did not realize that Gisèle Bellicot was unconscious and therefore did not “know” that they were raping her – an argument that sparked a national debate over the legal definition of rape in France.

Their prison sentences range from three to 15 years, which is less than what the prosecution demanded.

In a statement to Agence France-Presse, the Bleikut children said they were “disappointed” by the “low sentences.”

For nearly a decade, since 2011, Dominique Bellicot drugged and raped his ex-wife, Giselle Bellicot, and recruited dozens of men online to have sex with her while she was unconscious.

His crimes were discovered in 2020, when police arrested him on a separate charge of photographing women up their skirts in a supermarket.

Police confiscated his devices and found thousands of video clips on his laptop, with evidence of about 200 rapes.

Investigators used the videos to track down his co-defendants, although they were unable to identify 21 additional men.

Dominique Bellicot admitted the charges in 2020.

The trial sparked debate about whether the issue of consent should be added to the legal definition of rape in France, as is the case in other European countries.

Rape is currently defined in France as “any act of sexual penetration committed against another person by means of violence, coercion, threat or surprise” – meaning prosecutors must prove intent to rape.

Several of the accusers claimed they did not realize Giselle Bellicot had not consented, claiming they had been “tricked” by Dominique Bellicot, and believed they were going to the couple's home for a threesome involving a fantasy that the woman would be asleep.

The trial also highlighted the issue of chemical submission – drug-induced sexual assault.

Most of the 50 men come from towns and villages within a 50-kilometre (30-mile) radius of the village of Mazan, home of the Belikot family.

they Includes firefighters, truck drivers, soldiers, journalist and DJDefense lawyers described them as “ordinary people” – earning them the nickname “Mr. Everyman.”

The trial also highlighted sexual violence against women in France, with many praising Gisèle Bellicot for her courage in revealing the full details of the case to the public.

She previously said she was determined to carry out a “shame exchange” from victim to rapist – a phrase repeated and used by her supporters.

Stefan Babonneau, Gisele's lawyer, previously told the BBC that his client did not want to be considered an icon.

He added that Gisele's message to women is that “they have a power that they cannot even imagine and that they need to believe in themselves.”

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