Dominique Pelicot Guilty in Mass Rape of Wife

The rape trial that has stunned France, and the world, has come to a close: It's a guilty verdict for Dominique Pelicot, accused of drugging and raping his wife, Gisele Pelicot, and inviting dozens of others to do the same over a span of years. CNN reports that on Thursday, Dominique Pelicot, 72, was convicted and received 20 years behind bars, the maximum sentence allowable for his crimes under French law. Fifty other men who took part in the sex crimes were also convicted of either rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault, with the AP noting it took more than hour to deliver all the verdicts. One man, Jean-Pierre Marechal, was convicted of raping his own wife after he'd admitting that he'd "copied Dominique Pelicot's playbook," per CNN.

Some of the men who'd been repeat offenders, visiting the Pelicot home multiple times to take part in the assaults, were hit with somewhat lengthy sentences, including one who got 15 years for the half-dozen times he participated. Many of their sentences, however, were significantly shorter than what Dominique Pelicot received, and what prosecutors had sought, with some even receiving suspended sentences or walking free due to time already served. Gisele Pelicot could be seen during the sentencing "facing the defendants and sometimes nodding her head as verdicts were announced," but the Pelicots' adult children are said to be "disappointed by [the] low sentences," per AFP, as are others who've been actively campaigning in support of Gisele Pelicot.

"All those men who are walking free today, it's an insult!" said one woman who hails from the same small town as the Pelicots after the verdicts outside the court in Avignon, per CNN. Another proclaimed, "As a woman and as a feminist, I feel disappointed and humiliated by these verdicts." Dominique Pelicot—who was also found guilty of making and disseminating photos of a sexual nature of his own daughter, Caroline Darian, and of his two daughters-in-law—is said to have "sat back down and cried" after his conviction was handed down. Dominique Pelicot's legal team will have 10 days to lodge an appeal, although it's not yet clear if they plan on doing so. (More Dominique Pelicot stories.)