Avignon, France – A French court on Thursday accused Gisele Pericot's ex-husband of drugging her, raping her, and then forcing another man to rape her while she was unconscious, for nearly a decade of abuse. He was sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in prison. .
Dominic Perico's sentence was pronounced after he was found guilty of all charges against him. At 72 years old, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.
The verdict was read by Roger Arata, chief judge of the Avignon court.
Arata read out the verdict against Pericot and 50 others one after another, declaring: “You are therefore found guilty of the aggravated rape of Mrs. Gisele Perico,” he checked the first name on the list.
Gisele Perico sat on one side of the courtroom facing the defendants as Arata announced one guilty verdict after another.
This historic incident has rocked France over the past few months.
Dominic Perrico admitted that he drugged his then-wife of 50 years into unconsciousness for years and allowed strangers he recruited online to abuse her while he filmed the assault.
Gisele Perico, now a 72-year-old grandmother, had what she thought was a loving marriage, but the horrific ordeal she was put through for nearly 10 years and her courage in a shocking and devastating trial. turned this retired utility worker into a feminist hero. Nation.
The trial, which lasted more than three months, has galvanized anti-sexual violence campaigners and raised calls for tougher measures to stamp out rape culture.
Dominique Perico and 49 other men are on trial in Avignon, southern France, on charges of aggravated rape and attempted rape, and could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
Prosecutors had asked for the maximum sentence for him and 10 to 18 years in prison for the others. He also asked for a four-year prison sentence for another defendant who was on trial for aggravated sexual assault.
Of the 50 men charged with rape, only one was acquitted, but he was found guilty of aggravated sexual assault.
The defendants are all accused of taking part in Dominique Pericot's vile rape and abuse fantasies, which took place in the couple's nursing homes in the small Provence town of Mazan and elsewhere.
Dominic Perrico testified that he hid tranquilizers in the food and drinks he gave his then-wife, rendering her unconscious enough to do whatever he wanted for hours.
One of them was on trial for drugging and raping his own wife, not for assaulting Gisele Perico, but with the help and drug use of Dominic Perico, he also raped the other's wife. He was on trial for rape.
The five judges handed down their decisions by secret ballot, requiring a majority vote to convict and sentence those found guilty.
Campaigners against sexual violence want an exemplary prison sentence and see the trial as a potential turning point in the fight against rape culture and the use of drugs to subdue victims.
Gisele Pericot's courage as a survivor of sexual abuse in waiving her right to anonymity and successfully demanding that her shocking evidence, including a public hearing and video, be heard in open court has been recognized at the national level in France. It also stimulated conversations between families, couples, and family members. Discuss in your friend group how to better protect women and the role men can play in achieving that goal.
Fanny Fords, 48, who joined other women from the feminist organization Les Amazones to post messages of support for Gisele Pericot, said: “Men are treating their girlfriends, their mothers, their friends in ways they never have before.'' “We're starting to talk to women,” she said. The walls around Avignon before the verdict.
“It was awkward at first, but now we're starting to have a real dialogue,” she said.
“For some women, this is perhaps the first time they are aware that they have been abused by an ex-husband, or that someone close to them has been abusive,” Fords added. “And men are starting to take stock of their own actions and complicities, what they've ignored and what they've failed to do. It's heavy, but it's making a difference.”
A large banner that campaigners hung on the city wall opposite the courthouse read “MERCI GISELE'' – Thank you, Gisele.
Dominic Perico first came to the attention of police in September 2020, when a supermarket security guard caught him secretly filming women up their skirts.
Police later discovered a library of homemade images documenting years of abuse inflicted on his wife. In total, more than 20,000 photos and videos were stored on a computer drive, categorized into folders marked such as “abuse,'' “her rapist,'' and “alone in the night.'' title.
A wealth of evidence led police to the other defendants. Investigators counted 72 different abusers in the video, but were unable to identify them all.
Some of the defendants, including Dominique Pericotte, pleaded guilty to rape, but many did not, even in the face of video evidence.
The hearing sparked a broader debate in France about whether the legal definition of rape should be expanded to include specific reference to consent.
Some defendants argued that Dominic Perico's consent included his wife.
Some tried to excuse their actions by claiming that they had not intended to rape anyone when they accepted their husband's invitation to his home.
Some accused him of misleading them into believing they were participating in a consensual twist.
