Dominique Pelicot has been sentenced to the maximum penalty of 20 years in prison after being found guilty of multiple charges, including sexual assault and the production and distribution of explicit images.
In a landmark verdict, all 51 defendants were found guilty of various charges, with some of the accused, including Pelicot, having pleaded not guilty. The court’s decision drew emotional reactions from family members of the defendants, many of whom wept as the sentences were handed down.
One defendant, Jacques C., received a five-year suspended sentence, allowing him to walk free from court immediately. His sentence shocked some in the courtroom, who gasped upon hearing the ruling. Other defendants, including Cyrille D., Lionel R., and Boris M., were sentenced to eight years in prison, despite the prosecution’s request for 12 years.
Redouan A., who was convicted of aggravated rape, was granted a reduced sentence after an expert testified that he suffers from schizophrenia, impairing his judgment at the time of the offense.
Feminist campaigner Sirine Sehl expressed disappointment with the prosecutors’ recommendations for shorter sentences, calling them “weak” and urging for harsher penalties. She also stated that she hoped the sentences would be “adapted” to reflect the gravity of the crimes.
Pelicot, who was found guilty of multiple charges, including sexually exploiting his daughter Caroline and his daughters-in-law, showed visible distress in the courtroom. He was convicted of creating and distributing explicit images of Caroline and two other women—his daughters-in-law.
Throughout the proceedings, Caroline and her brother, David, sat apart from their mother, Gisèle Pelicot, who was seen leaning forward in the courtroom as the verdicts were read, watching the faces of the men involved.
Caroline, who was visibly emotional earlier in the day as her father entered the courtroom, wiped away tears during the proceedings.
