Dominique Pelicot jailed for 20 years in French rape trial

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.

A French court found Dominique Pelicot guilty of repeatedly drugging and raping his wife over decades, and inviting more than 50 men to participate in the abuse in their family home.

Judges sentenced the 72-year-old Pelicot, who had admitted to the crimes, to the maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on Thursday.  

The landmark trial shocked and moved people in France and around the world. Gisèle Pelicot, the 71-year-old woman at the centre of the case, requested that it be open to the public.

The mother of three also pushed for horrific videos of the abuse taken by her now ex-husband to be shown in court, in evidence that undermined the defendants’ denials. 

This is a developing story