Despite 17 Appeals, 72-Year-Old Pelicot Will Not Appeal 20-Year Sentence in Mazan Rape Case

Dec 30, 2024, 09:28 AM

Dominique Pelicot, 72, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for drugging and raping his ex-wife, Gisèle Pelicot, and facilitating her rape by dozens of other men over a decade, has decided not to appeal his conviction, his lawyer announced on December 30. Despite 17 of the 51 convicted men appealing their sentences, Pelicot aims to spare his ex-wife the trauma of another trial. "He decided not to appeal, because he says it would be a new ordeal and new confrontations for his wife," said his lawyer, Béatrice Zavarro. The appeals will require a full retrial within a year, involving a jury of citizens, as per French law. The case, known as the "Mazan rapes," which has shocked France, involved the abuse of Gisèle while she was unconscious.