Frenchman Sentenced for Decade-long Marital Abuse

Dominique Pelicot, a Frenchman, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for drugging and raping his wife, Gisele Pelicot, and orchestrating further assaults by other men. For over a decade, he subjected her to these horrific acts. The court in Avignon delivered its verdict on Thursday.

Dominique Pelicot, a French national, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for acts of sexual violence against his wife, Gisele Pelicot. The horrifying case revealed Pelicot had drugged, raped, and enabled other men to assault his unconscious spouse over a decade.

The court in Avignon delivered the verdict on Thursday, aligning with French prosecutors' call for the maximum sentence. Pelicot, in a self-admission during the trial, acknowledged his crimes as a rapist and pleaded for forgiveness from his family.

The case underscores severe and prolonged domestic violence issues, shocking the French judicial landscape and raising awareness about the need for stringent punitive measures for such offences.

(With inputs from agencies.)