French legal announcements or news reports

Dominique Pelicot Gets 20-Year Maximum Sentence; 50 Others Convicted in Mazan Rape Trial

Dec 19, 2024, 10:08 AM

A French court in Avignon has sentenced 72-year-old Dominique Pelicot to 20 years in prison, the maximum penalty, for drugging and raping his ex-wife, Gisèle Pelicot, and arranging for more than 70 men to assault her while she was unconscious over nearly a decade. In the landmark Mazan rape trial that has drawn international attention, all 51 defendants were found guilty of their respective charges, with sentences ranging from three to 20 years. The other men involved were convicted of aggravated rape and sexual assault, receiving sentences from three to 15 years.