A public prosecutor in France has informed a court that Dominique Pelicot, the man accused of organising the rape of his unconscious wife by more than 50 men, is “fully responsible” for his actions, requesting the maximum prison sentence of 20 years.
Public prosecutor Laure Chabaud told the packed courthouse in Avignon, southern France, on Monday, that the sentence would be “long” but “not enough considering the serious nature of these acts.”
“There are many examples in history of criminals capable of presenting themselves in a charming light and who at the same time are capable of the worst atrocities. Dominique Pelicot fits this bill. He was an attentive husband, father, and grandfather,” Chabaud said.
“He suffers from no mental illness, so he is fully responsible for the acts he committed. We must ask ourselves about the future, which appears relatively bleak. His is considered incredibly dangerous,” she added.
A huge crowd of journalists and supporters gathered in the courtroom inside Avignon’s Tribunal de Grande Instance on Monday morning for the final day of oral arguments in a case that has made headlines at home in France and around the world.
LEADERSHIP recalls that Pelicot was accused of organising for more than 50 men to visit his house in the southern French village of Mazan and rape his wife, Gisele Pelicot.
Over a period spanning nearly 10 years, Dominique Pelicot used an online website and messaging platforms to seek out men from a radius spanning roughly 25 miles (40 kilometers).
Pelicot has admitted to habitually drugging his wife with a strong sedative before allowing strangers to sexually abuse her.
Pelicot kept his eyes closed and looked down at the ground during the hearing.
The lawyer representing Dominique Pelicot, Beatrice Zavarro told journalists outside the court on Monday that the request wasn’t a “surprise for us” and had been entirely “predictable.”
Despite this, she said it was still “difficult” to tell a 72-year-old man such as Pelicot that he may have to spend the next 20 years in prison.
