Dominique Pelicot Won't Appeal

The ex-husband of Gisele Pelicot won't appeal his 20-year prison sentence for drugging and raping her and allowing dozens of other men to also rape her while she was unconscious, in a case that revolted France, his lawyer said Monday. Dominique Pelicot wants to spare his ex-wife the ordeal of another trial, lawyer Beatrice Zavarro told France Info. Zavarro said 17 of the 50 other men also found guilty this month after a more than three-month trial that turned 72-year-old Gisele Pelicot into an icon against sexual violence have decided to appeal, per the AP. The court in Avignon handed down sentences ranging from three to 15 years behind bars for the 50 men—found guilty of rape, attempted rape, and sexual assaults.

The court found Dominique Pelicot guilty of rape and all other charges against him and sentenced him to 20 years in prison, the maximum possible. At age 72, he could spend the rest of his life behind bars. He won't be eligible to request early release until he's served at least two-thirds of the sentence. Zavarro, his lawyer, said: "He has decided not to appeal because he believes it would be a new ordeal and new confrontations for his [former] wife. ... He believes that the judicial page should be turned and that this chapter should be considered closed."

(More Dominique Pelicot stories.)