Warning: This article may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it.
On Thursday, a court in France sentenced Giselle Bellico’s ex-husband to a maximum of 20 years in prison on charges of drugging her, raping her, and allowing other men to rape her while she was unconscious, in an abuse that lasted nearly a decade.
The verdict against Dominique Bellicot was announced after he was found guilty of all charges. At 72, that could mean he spends the rest of his life in prison.
The ruling was read by the chief judge of the Avignon court, Roger Arata.
Arata read the sentences one after another against Bellicot and 50 other men, declaring “You are therefore declared guilty of aggravated rape against the person of Madame Giselle Bellicot” as he made his way through the first names on the list.
Giselle Bellicot was sitting on one side of the courtroom, facing the defendants as Arata announced the guilty verdict one by one.
The gang rape trial has shocked France, and its effects will be felt far beyond the Avignon court, where judges heard evidence for more than three months.
Pellicott, 72, has become a feminist hero at home and abroad for waiving her right to anonymity and standing up to her attackers in court.
The media does not typically identify survivors of sexual assault. Typically, a publication ban prevents the media from doing so in order to protect the privacy of survivors and encourage them to report crimes in the first place. But Bellicott waived her legal right to anonymity.
Everything about the trial in the southern French city of Avignon was extraordinary, and most of all Bellicote herself was extraordinary.
She was a model of steely dignity and resilience during more than three months of harrowing testimony, including excerpts from her ex-husband’s sordid library of domestic abuse videos.
Dominic Bellicot has painstakingly detailed how he drugged his wife of 50 years during their last decade together so he and dozens of strangers he met online could rape her while she was unconscious.
Surprisingly, he found it easy to recruit his alleged accomplices. Many of them had jobs. Most of them are fathers. They came from all walks of life, the youngest in his twenties and the oldest in his seventies.
Dominique Bellicot, by his own admission in court, invited dozens of men he recruited online to his home to rape his wife, Giselle Bellicot, whom he drugged. In all, 51 men are charged and sentences are expected later this week. CBC’s Sarah Levitt spoke to Mazan residents about the impact of the experiment in France.
In all, 50 men, including Dominique Bellicot, stood trial on charges of aggravated rape and attempted rape. Another man was tried for aggravated sexual assault.
“They treated me like a rag doll, like a bag of trash,” Giselle Bellicot testified in court.
It took so long to examine the accusations, the evidence, the backgrounds of the defendants and their defenses that Dominique and Gisèle Bellicot had a birthday during the trial, as they were both 72 years old.
How did the case come about?
Dominique Bellicot’s meticulous recording and cataloging of encounters – police found more than 20,000 photos and videos on his computer drives, in folders labeled “Abuse”, “Her Rapists” or “Night Alone” – provided investigators with an abundance of of evidence and helped lead the investigation. them to the accused.
This also distinguishes the case from many other cases in which sexual violence goes unreported or is not prosecuted because the evidence is not strong.
Giselle Bellico and her lawyers successfully listened to and watched graphic videos and other evidence in open court to show that she was not ashamed and was clearly unconscious during the alleged rapes, undermining claims by some accusers that she may have been feigning sleep. Or even were willing participants.
Her courage – one single woman facing dozens of men – was inspiring.
Supporters, mostly women, lined up early each day for a spot in the courtroom or to cheer and thank her as she walked in and out — stoic, humble and gracious, but also aware that her ordeal resonated beyond Avignon and France.
She said she was fighting for “all those people around the world, women and men, who are victims of sexual violence.”
“Look around: you are not alone,” she said.
For anyone who has experienced sexual assault, support is available through crisis lines and local support services via Ending Violence Canada database.
For anyone affected by domestic or intimate partner violence, support is available through Crisis lines and local support services.
If you are in immediate danger or fear for your safety or the safety of others around you, please call 911.
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