I thought of my grandchildren, Gisele Pelicot says after French rape trial
19 December 2024, 13:44
She spoke after 51 men, including her ex-husband, were all found guilty on Thursday of rape or sexual offences.
Gisele Pelicot has said she thought of her grandchildren during the drugging-and-rape trial that turned her into a feminist hero.
She said after 51 men, including her ex-husband, were all found guilty on Thursday of rape or sexual offences, that the ordeal was “very difficult” and she expressed support for other victims of sexual violence.
“We share the same fight,” she said in her first words after the court in the southern French city of Avignon handed down prison sentences ranging from three to 20 years. She had waived her right to anonymity.
She said that she had her grandchildren in mind as she endured the more than three months of hearings, saying: “It’s also for them that I led this fight.”
As campaigners against sexual violence protested outside the court, the 72-year-old expressed “my profound gratitude towards the people who supported me”.
“Your messages moved me deeply, and they gave me the strength to come back, every day, and survive through these long daily hearings,” she said. “This trial was a very difficult ordeal.”
She added: “I wanted all of society to be a witness to the debates that took place here. I never regretted making this decision. I have trust in our capacity to collectively project ourselves towards a future where all, women and men, can live in harmony, with respect and mutual understanding. Thank you.”
The court sentenced Dominique Pelicot to 20 years in prison for drugging and raping her and allowing other men to rape her while she was unconscious, in abuse that lasted nearly a decade.
The sentence against Pelicot was the maximum possible under French law. He was declared guilty of all charges against him.
At the age of 72, it could mean that he spends the rest of his life in prison. He will not be eligible to ask for early release until at least two-thirds of the sentence has been served.
Of the 50 others accused of rape, just one was acquitted but was found guilty of aggravated sexual assault.
Another man was also found guilty on the sexual assault charge that he was tried for – meaning all 51 of the defendants were found guilty in one way or another.
The shocking case stunned France and spurred a national reckoning about the blight of rape culture.
