Ex-wife of ‘Monster of Avignon’ bravely says she ‘struggled on for her children’ as rapist is jailed for 20 years
19 December 2024, 12:06 | Updated: 19 December 2024, 12:34
Gisèle Pelicot has spoken for the first time since her husband was jailed for 20 years for raping her and inviting dozens of men to also abuse her over nearly a decade.
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Gisèle told the press she is "very emotional" and thinking of her children following the conviction of her 51 abusers.
She shared her "profound gratitude" to all the people who supported her during this "difficult ordeal" and said she hopes the case can pave a way forward and allow men and women to 'live in harmony."
Dominique Pelicot, 72, was found guilty of drugging his ex-wife, Gisèle, raping her and inviting dozens of men to also abuse her over nearly a decade.
He was on trial on trial with 50 other men.
All 51 men have been found guilty today - being jailed for a total of more than 400 years.
Speaking outside of the court on Thursday, she said: "Please, if you could respect my emotional state as much as possible. Thank you. It's with a lot of emotion that I'm here to make a statement.
"This case was a very difficult test for me. And I'm thinking first and foremost of my three children, David, Caroline and Florian.
"I'm also thinking about my grandchildren because they are the future and for them, I wanted to really put this struggle forward.
James O'Brien reacts as Dominique Pelicot is found guilty
"Oran and Celene as well. I'm thinking about all the other families affected by this case and the non recognised victims in these stories, that are often in the shadows. You must know you share my struggle."
She went on: "I'd like to express my gratitude, my deepest gratitude to all the individuals who have supported me throughout this, with the witness statements and the testimonials.
"This really gave me strength to come back day after day for this long trial. I'd like to thank the Association for Support of Victims who have supported me throughout and all the journalists who have followed my case since its beginnings.
"I'd like to thank you and recognise the faithful and respectful treatment of the case that you have daily given. My lawyers, I thank you.
"Thanks for supporting me throughout this long journey. I wanted when I started on the 2nd of September to ensure that society could actually see what was happening and I never have regretted this decision.
"I now have faith in our capacity to collectively to take hold of a future in which everybody, women, men, can live together in harmony, in respect and mutual understanding. Thank you."
She added she respects the decision of the court to give most of her abusers shorter sentences than prosecutors asked for.
Pelicot, 72, who has failing health, has accepted that he will die behind bars, with his daughter yelling at him during the trial: "You will die alone like a dog and caught out in lies!"
Alongside Pelicot, 50 other men accused of raping Gisèle received sentences - many of which came in as shorter than expected.
One of the men, Jean-Pierre Marechal, has also been found guilty of raping his own wife with the help of Pelicot.
Gisèle's trial galvanised campaigners against sexual violence and spurred calls for tougher measures to stamp out rape culture.
Campaigners against sexual violence were hoping for exemplary prison terms and view the trial as a possible turning point in the fight against rape culture and the use of drugs to subdue victims.
Pelicot first came to the attention of police in September 2020, when a supermarket security guard caught him filming up women's skirts.
Police subsequently found his library of homemade images documenting years of abuse inflicted on his wife - more than 20,000 photos and videos in all, stored on computer drives and catalogued in folders marked "abuse", "her rapists", "night alone" and other titles.
The hearings sparked wider debate in France about whether the country's legal definition of rape should be expanded to include specific mention of consent.
In total, the court found 46 men guilty of rape, two guilty of attempted rape and two guilty of sexual assault.
Despite the high combined number, prosecutors had expected the men to receive longer jail sentences individually.A soldier, retired firefighter and plumber were among the men sentenced for their crimes.
Joan K, 27, was handed a 10-year sentence for raping Ms Pelicot twice in the space of a year.
Roman V, 63, will face 15 years behind bars after raping Ms Pelicot six times in a single month between December 2019 and January 2020.
73-year-old retiree Jacques C was jailed for five years after being convicted of one count of rape.
