Gisele Pelicot’s attackers are already walking free weeks after guilty verdicts
Less than two months after more than 50 men were found guilty of the rape and abuse of Gisele Pelicot, at least six of them are already free.
Gisele Pelicot – a woman who has become a feminist symbol of the fight against sexual violence in France –stood bravely as her husband of 38 years and more than 50 other men were on trial for raping and drugging her for ten years.
In December, a court found 51 of the defendants guilty of rape, two guilty of attempted rape and two guilty of sexual assault.
Six of those convicted walked free in December because of ‘poor health’ or already serving their sentence in pre-trial detention.
Gisele’s case caught international attention (Picture: AFP/Getty)
The Sunday Times reported that some of the guilty men have already returned to their ‘picture-perfect towns’ and families.
French law allows prisoners to be released early if they have served half of their sentence – and if they’re above the age of 70, have a home to return to or have demonstrated good behaviour, it’s even easier to get an early release.
One man reportedly only served 11 months of his five-year sentence, according to the Sunday Times.
It comes as half of the 51 men convicted of raping or sexually assaulting Gisele Pelicot with the aid of Dominique Pelicot launched a bid to appeal their sentences.
Among the convicted that have appealed is Charly Abo, who was sentenced to 13 years in jail for raping Ms Pelicot on six separate occasions.
Some of the men who were convicted have argued they were ‘manipulated’ by Pelicot into raping his ex-wife, and were not aware she had not given her consent.
43-year-old Simoné Mekense has been sentenced to nine years in prison.
His lawyer, Yannick Prat, has argued that the sentence was ‘disproportionate’, and said his client said he ‘never meant to rape Gisele Pelicot’.
Under French law, the identities of victims of sexual assault are normally hidden, however, Gisele insisted on a public trial to expose her ex-husband and the 50 others convicted of raping her.
In a move of solidarity with women who go unrecognised as victims of sexual crimes, Gisele has allowed the press to publish her full name, and the court to show explicit videos of her abuse filmed by her husband, that show men engaging in sexual intercourse with her while she was unconscious.
‘I have decided not to be ashamed, I have done nothing wrong,’ she previously told the court. ‘They are the ones who must be ashamed.
‘I’m not expressing hatred or hate, but I am determined that things change in this society.’
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