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The case, which exposed a chilling pattern of systematic sexual abuse and manipulation, initially led to the conviction of 51 men, including Pelicot’s former husband
French Woman Gisele Pelicot | AFP Image
Gisele Pelicot, the French woman whose ex-husband orchestrated years of drugging and sexual assaults against her by dozens of men, appeared in court on Monday for an appeal hearing filed by one of the convicted offenders who insists he “never intended” to rape her.
The case, which exposed a chilling pattern of systematic sexual abuse and manipulation, initially led to the conviction of 51 men, including Pelicot’s former husband, Dominique Pelicot, following a landmark trial that concluded in December last year.
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The appeal was lodged by Husamettin Dogan, 44, the only defendant to maintain his challenge. “I never wanted to rape this woman, whom I respect,” Dogan told the court, claiming he had no criminal intent.
Gisele Pelicot, 72, who waived her right to anonymity during the first trial, arrived at the Nîmes courthouse to applause, wearing a pink jacket and accompanied by her son Florian.
Her composure and courage throughout the legal proceedings have made her a symbol of women’s resilience and a powerful figure in the fight against sexual violence.
Dogan, who suffers from arthritis and remains out of custody due to medical reasons, entered the courthouse quietly, concealing his face with a cap, mask, and sunglasses, and using a walking stick for support.
The retrial, which has drawn accreditation requests from more than 100 international journalists, is expected to last up to four days. Dominique Pelicot will testify on Tuesday from prison, where he is held in solitary confinement, while Gisele Pelicot is scheduled to speak on Wednesday.
Her lawyer, Antoine Camus, said she would have preferred to avoid reliving the trauma but recognizes the broader impact of her case.
“She knows that this story goes beyond her — it forces society to confront how men perceive and misuse sexuality,” he said.
Between 2006 and 2015, Dominique Pelicot repeatedly drugged his wife and arranged for strangers, recruited online, to rape her while she was unconscious, often in their home in Mazan, southern France.
In the original verdict, Dogan was sentenced to nine years in prison, though his incarceration was postponed for health reasons. Sixteen other men who initially appealed have since withdrawn their petitions.
Dogan’s defence argues that he was “deceived” by the husband, who allegedly presented the abuse as a consensual sexual game.
Dominique Pelicot, now serving a 20-year prison sentence, has not appealed his conviction but will appear as a witness in the retrial.
His lawyer, Beatrice Zavarro, said he remains isolated in prison and claims to hear his name mentioned and threats being made from other inmates.
During the first trial, many defendants sought to shift responsibility to the husband, claiming ignorance of the true circumstances, a defence the court rejected.
The convicted men, aged between 27 and 74, received sentences ranging from three years (with partial suspension) to 15 years for repeated rape.
Dogan admitted during earlier proceedings that he met a man online in 2019 who posed as part of a “libertine couple.”
He said he engaged in sexual acts with Gisele Pelicot, believing she was pretending to be asleep, and only later realised she was unconscious.
France
October 06, 2025, 22:29 IST
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