Gisèle Bellico’s ex-husband is convicted in a gang rape trial in France and sentenced to 20 years in prison

On Thursday, a judge in France found the ex-husband of Giselle Bellico, who… I confess For drugging and raping her repeatedly over nearly a decade and inviting dozens of other men to assault her as well, on charges of aggravated rape. He was sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in prison.

During her trial, Bellicott – who insisted that her full name be published – insisted to the court The procedures must be public She was praised for her courage and became a symbol of the fight against sexual violence in France and around the world.

Roger Arata, the lead judge at the court in Avignon, south-eastern France, then read the sentences for 49 other men also accused of raping Bellicot, at the invitation of her husband, and another accused of aggravated sexual assault. All the men were convicted, but his conviction was reduced from rape to sexual assault.

When Bellicott arrived at the court on Thursday, she was greeted by crowds carrying signs reading: “Thank you for your courage.” She and her daughters sat in the courtroom while the verdicts were read, leaning their heads against the wall, CBS News partner BBC News reported.

The trial began on September 2, and Bellicot came face to face with it almost every day Ex-husbandOr Dominic or one of the other 50 men accused of assaulting her. She insisted that videos submitted as evidence by her ex-husband, showing men assaulting her while she appeared unconscious, be presented to the court.

Dominique Bellicot was also convicted of attempted aggravated rape of a woman named Celia, the wife of another man, Jean-Pierre Maréchal, who was one of the other defendants, as well as taking indecent photographs of his daughter, Caroline, and his husband. BBC News reported that their wives are Celine and Aurore. While sitting in court, he did not show any emotion as the verdicts were read, according to the BBC.

The attacks occurred between 2011 and 2020, when Dominique Bellicot was detained. Police found thousands of photos and videos of the abuse on his computer drives, which helped them lead to other suspects. Some of the men in court said they thought it was okay for an unconscious woman to be okay, or that her husband’s permission was sufficient.

“It is not for us to feel shame, but for them,” Bellicot declared during the trial, referring to the attackers. “Above all, I am expressing my will and determination to change this society.”

“Nothing will bring back the 15 years she lost, and the 10 years she lived without knowing what was happening to her,” Bellicot’s lawyer, Stephane Babonneau, said before Thursday’s sentencing. “All she can expect now is justice, and then, well, who can find comfort in someone going to prison for 10 or 15 years, and seeing another family destroyed. No one – and in fact – certainly not her.”

Controversial French laws

The Bellicot case sparked protests across France, and there was hope among some protesters that the case would lead to changes in controversial French laws governing sexual consent.

France set the legal age for sexual consent in 2021 after a public outcry over the rape of an 11-year-old schoolgirl by a man initially convicted on lesser charges. Since then, sex with anyone under the age of 15 has been viewed as non-consensual, but French law does not indicate consent in cases involving older victims.

Under French law, rape is defined as penetration or oral sex using “violence, coercion, threats or surprise,” without taking consent into account, according to Reuters news agency. Legal experts told Reuters that prosecutors must prove intent to rape if they want to succeed in court.

Only 14% of rape accusations in France lead to formal investigations, according to a study by the Institute for Public Policy.

French legal expert Catherine Le Maguires told Reuters, “Why can’t we issue convictions? The first reason is the law.” “The law is worded in such a way that victims must conform to the stereotype of the ‘good victim’ and ‘real rape’: unknown attacker, use of violence, resistance of the victim. But this only applies to a minority of rapes.”

“I’m trying to understand”

Speaking in court during the trial, Bellicott, 72, spoke of how she thought she was in a loving marriage with her husband and would never have guessed what was happening.

“We were having a glass of white wine together. I never found anything strange in my potatoes,” Bellicot told the court. “We finished eating. Often when a football match was on TV, I would let him watch it alone. He brought my ice cream to my bed, where I was. My favorite flavor – raspberry – and I thought: ‘How lucky I am.’” . I.

She said she didn’t have any feeling of numbness.

“I never felt my heart fluttering. I didn’t feel anything. I must have blacked out very quickly. I would wake up in my pajamas,” Bellicott told the court, adding that she would sometimes wake up “more tired than usual.” But I walk a lot and I thought that was it.”

“I’m trying to understand how this husband, who was the perfect man, could get into this situation,” she said.

Frank Andrews

She contributed to this report.