🔗 Share this article French Appeal Court Increases Jail Time for Gisèle Pelicot Assailant A man was declared guilty on appeal of raping Gisèle Pelicot following she was sedated by her spouse – and has had his prison sentence increased to ten years. Appeal Trial Dogan, forty-four, an unemployed builder, who had appealed his first conviction last year, faced a new trial this week at the appeals court in Nîmes. A jury of nine jurors, sitting with three judges, ruled against Dogan on Thursday of sexually assaulting Pelicot in her home in southern France in the morning of 29 June 2019. The court heard that the accused, a family man, made contact with Gisèle Pelicot’s spouse, the husband, in an digital platform titled “without her knowledge”, where Pelicot was recruiting men to enter his residence to rape his wife once he had rendered her unconscious into a unconscious state. “We hope the court will declare that in this nation, fundamental rights are also rights of women – that consent is individual, not given by another,” stated the victim's lawyer, her legal representative. “Agreement is secured directly and not by proxy from a husband.” Background The ex-husband, among the most severe sex offenders in recent French history, was sentenced to 20 years in prison last year for sedating his spouse and soliciting dozens of men to sexually assault her in her home in the town of Mazan over a span of many years of their union. Numerous other individuals were found convicted in a high-profile trial last year, and the appellant was the sole individual to contest his conviction. He was originally handed a term to 9 years in prison, a punishment increased on Thursday to ten years. The lead state prosecutor, the prosecutor, had contended he should serve 12 years, because he “stubbornly rejects to take any responsibility”. Evidence Presented Dogan had initially sent Dominique Pelicot sexually explicit photos and then traveled an hour from his village in the region to assault the victim, after telling his wife he was stepping out, the evidence indicated. Pelicot, who was brought from isolation in prison to briefly testify at the appeal trial, stated to the court that the accused had understood his wife had been “incapacitated” and he said to men by phone: “I seek someone to abuse my wife after I’ve sedated her without her knowledge.” The proceedings became a focus point for a broader debate on sexual violence norms in society as the defendant continued to assert he was blameless and had not committed rape, contending that because the victim's husband had allowed him into the residence, his behavior had been permissible. The jury in the higher court was presented with video evidence of the victim's limp body, sedated and snoring in a deep sleep, while a smiling the perpetrator engaged in violation multiple times over a timeframe of what authorities reported was three and a half hours. The presiding judge said she had been at risk of fatal outcome by suffocation. The prosecution said there was no doubt that she had been incapacitated and had not given permission. Defendant's Statements Dogan stated to the court the footage were simply “intimate moments” and rejected it was rape. He said what he did was “a sexual act”, not rape. He stated the court: “I am innocent of assault.” He said Gisèle Pelicot’s husband had invited him to the home, and therefore it was permissible. He said he was manipulated by the husband. “I wanted to stop,” the accused stated to the court. “I carried on because he reassured me.” Asked if he wanted to make a last words to the court, the defendant said: “I never wanted to hurt that individual.” Survivor's Statement Gisèle Pelicot, who was cheered upon leaving court each day by onlookers gathered to support her, addressed the defendant in court: “You haven’t understood. When will you admit you assaulted me? It’s a crime to assault an unconscious woman. When did I ever give you agreement? Never.” The victim, 72, became an global icon after she relinquished her right to privacy in the trial last year when she said: “Guilt ought to transfer.” State's Argument Sie, addressing Gisèle Pelicot in court, said Dogan’s unwillingness to take responsibility showed that: “Guilt has not shifted. The public is perhaps in the process of that, perhaps propelled by the collective awareness brought by the publication of your case.” The prosecutor said Dogan’s claims of innocence showed how normalized violence was still prevalent in society as part of “archaic” forms of “male domination”. He said: “It is imperative to change rape culture to a society based on agreement.” The prosecutor said to Dogan: “For as much as you reject it, it’s not just a woman, it’s an complete sordid societal structure that you are endorsing.” Personal History The accused was originated from Turkey and at the age of five relocated to the nation of France, where his father worked as a caretaker. The testimony revealed that his parent was abusive and that the defendant began smoking cannabis at the age of ten. When Dogan was 17 he was caught by authorities for drug trafficking and his father kicked him out the family house. He spent time in prison for trafficking in his twenties and had worked as a builder but had experienced periods of homelessness. He was married and had a child with a genetic condition, who he was the primary guardian for, as his spouse worked in a educational cafeteria. The court heard his wife did not know he had repeated extramarital activities beyond their union. His legal team said this was his method of dealing with his stressful life. Dogan had stated to a evaluator that each year he engaged in transactional encounters on his birthday. His attorneys stated to the court he had arthritis caused by the pressure of the first trial.