Gisele Pelicot (C) accompanied by her son Florian Pelicot (L) leaves the Gard criminal court, in Nimes, France, on Thursday. Photo by Guillaume Horcajuelo/EPA
A French jury convicted Husamettin Dogan, again, for being among 51 who were convicted of raping Gisele Pelicot after her husband sedated her many times during a 10-year period.
A panel of five men, four women and three judges heard Dogan’s appeal arguments in the Nimes appellate court and on Thursday rendered another guilty verdict, which resulted in his prison sentence being increased to 10 years, The Guardian reported.
Dogan, 44, was the only man among the 50 convicted of aggravated rape a year ago to appeal his conviction and seek a retrial after being sentenced to nine years in prison.
Seventeen others initially appealed their respective convictions but withdrew them, according to the BBC.
Dogan argued that he was invited to have sex with Gisele by her husband in 2019, was unaware that she had been drugged and could not have raped her, which the appellate jury rejected and led the court to extend Dogan’s prison sentence.
Dominique Pelicot likewise was convicted a year ago for drugging his wife, Gisele, 72, over 10 years and inviting strangers to rape her while he filmed the sexual assaults.
The Guardian reported Dominique Pelicot used an online forum called “without her knowledge” to recruit men to have sex with Gisele while she was sedated and unaware.
He recorded the rapes on video, which later provided prosecutors with the evidence needed to identify and help to convict dozens of those who raped his wife.
Nimes is located about 70 miles northwest of Marseille in southern France.
