A man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after being found guilty on appeal of raping Gisèle Pelicot, who had been drugged unconscious by her husband.
Husamettin Dogan, 44, an unemployed builder, had contested his original conviction last year. He faced a retrial this week at the Nîmes Court of Appeal, where a jury of five men and four women, sitting alongside three judges, upheld the guilty verdict.
The court heard that Dogan travelled from his village in Provence to the home of Dominique Pelicot, Gisèle Pelicot’s then husband, in the early hours of 29 June 2019. Dominique Pelicot had posted in an online chatroom called “without her knowledge”, seeking men to rape his wife after sedating her into a comatose state.
Dogan, a married father, responded to the post and later drove to the Pelicot residence, where he raped the unconscious woman over a period of three and a half hours. Video evidence shown to the jury depicted Gisèle Pelicot’s limp body, snoring and unresponsive, while Dogan repeatedly assaulted her. The presiding judge noted that she had been at risk of death by suffocation.
Dominique Pelicot, described as one of the worst sex offenders in modern French history, was sentenced last year to 20 years in prison for drugging his wife and inviting dozens of men to rape her over nearly a decade in their home in Mazan, Provence. Fifty other men were convicted in the same high-profile trial. Dogan was the only one to appeal.
Initially sentenced to nine years, Dogan’s term was increased to 10 years on Thursday. The lead prosecutor, Dominique Sie, had argued for a 12-year sentence, citing Dogan’s refusal to accept responsibility.
During the appeal, Dogan maintained his innocence, claiming that his actions were not rape because he had been invited into the bedroom by the victim’s husband. He described the video footage as “sex scenes” and insisted he had been manipulated by Dominique Pelicot.
“I never wanted to harm that lady,” Dogan told the court.
Gisèle Pelicot, now 72, confronted Dogan in court, stating: “You haven’t understood. When are you going to recognise you raped me? It’s a crime to rape an unconscious woman. When did I ever give you consent? Never.”
Pelicot, who waived her right to anonymity last year, has since become a symbol of feminist resistance in France. Her declaration that “shame must change sides” resonated widely.
Prosecutor Sie said Dogan’s denial reflected the persistence of rape culture and “archaic” male domination. “Now we must change rape culture to a culture of consent,” he said, adding that Dogan’s stance endorsed a “sordid social system”.
The court heard details of Dogan’s background, including a troubled childhood marked by violence and drug use. He had previously served time for drug dealing and experienced periods of homelessness. He was the primary carer for his son, who has Down’s syndrome, while his wife worked in a school canteen. She was unaware of his sexual activities outside their marriage.
Dogan’s defence argued that his behaviour stemmed from stress and personal hardship, noting that he sought paid sex annually on his birthday. His lawyers also cited arthritis, which they claimed was triggered by the stress of the initial trial.
Crowds gathered outside the courtroom each day to support Gisèle Pelicot, applauding her as she left. Her case has sparked renewed debate in France about consent and the legal treatment of sexual violence
