French man jailed for 20 years in rape case that horrified world

A French court found all 51 defendants guilty on Thursday in a drugging-and-rape case that horrified the world and transformed the victim, Gisèle Pelicot, into a stirring symbol of courage and resilience.

Pelicot's ex-husband of 50 years, Dominique Pelicot, had pleaded guilty to drugging her repeatedly for almost a decade to rape her, and to offer up her unconscious body to dozens of strangers he had met online, while videoing the abuse.

A panel of five judges sentenced him to the maximum 20 years in jail, as requested by prosecutors.

Prosecutors are also seeking terms of between four and 18 years for the other defendants, almost all of whom are accused of raping the comatose Gisèle Pelicot.

A cheer went up outside the court in the southern French city of Avignon among the victim's supporters when the news of the first guilty verdicts filtered out.

Dominique Pelicot, 72, pleaded guilty to the charges during the three-month trial and apologised to his family. He also said that all the strangers he invited into his house knew that his now ex-wife was unaware of what was happening to her.

Many of the accused had denied the charges, saying they thought it was a consensual sex game orchestrated by the couple, arguing that it was not rape if the husband approved.

Gisèle, who is also 72, waived her right to anonymity during the trial and demanded that horrifying videos of the serial abuse, which were recorded by her former husband, should be seen in court, saying she hoped this would help other women speak up.

The trial has triggered protest rallies around France in support of Gisèle, and spurred soul searching, including a debate on whether to update France's rape law, which at present makes no mention that sex should involve consent.

Gisèle stared down her abusers with steely determination in the packed courtroom day after day, scoffing at any claim that she might have been a willing participant.

"I've decided not to be ashamed, I've done nothing wrong," she testified in October. "They are the ones who must be ashamed," she said.

The Pelicots' children, David, Caroline and Florian, arrived in court to hear the verdict alongside their mother. The siblings have spoken out forcibly against their father.