🔗 Share this article French Appeal Tribunal Uphighers Jail Time for Gisèle Pelicot Perpetrator A man was convicted on retrial of sexually assaulting Gisele Pelicot following she was rendered comatose by her husband – and has had his jail term extended to ten years. Appeal Trial Dogan, 44, an unemployed builder, who had contested his first conviction last year, faced a appeal hearing this week at the appeals court in Nîmes. A jury of nine jurors, joined by three judges, found Dogan guilty on Thursday of sexually assaulting the victim in her home in Provence in the morning of June 29, 2019. The testimony revealed that Dogan, a married father, made contact with Gisèle Pelicot’s spouse, the husband, in an online chatroom called “without her knowledge”, where Pelicot was seeking men to visit his house to assault his wife once he had drugged her into a deep sleep. We expect the panel will say loud and clear that in this nation, human rights are also women’s rights – that agreement is individual, not transferred,” stated Gisèle Pelicot’s attorney, her legal representative. “Consent is secured directly and not through someone else from a husband.” Context The ex-husband, among the most severe sex offenders in modern French history, was handed a sentence to 20 years in prison last year for drugging his spouse and soliciting dozens of men to sexually assault her in her home in the Provence village of the village of Mazan over a span of nearly ten years of their union. Numerous other individuals were found culpable in a notable trial last year, and Dogan was the single defendant to contest his verdict. He was first handed a term to nine years in prison, a penalty increased on Thursday to ten years. The state's attorney, the prosecutor, had argued he should serve twelve years, because he “stubbornly rejects to take any responsibility”. Testimony and Proof The defendant had initially sent the husband graphic images and then traveled an hour from his residence in Provence to assault the victim, after informing his wife he was going out, the testimony revealed. The ex-husband, who was brought from segregation in prison to temporarily provide testimony at the hearing, told the court that the accused had known his wife had been “sedated” and he said to men by phone: “I’m looking for someone to violate my wife after I’ve put her to sleep without her consent.” The trial became a focus point for a larger conversation on sexual violence norms in society as the defendant continued to claim he was blameless and had not perpetrated assault, stating that because Gisèle Pelicot’s husband had invited him into the room, his behavior had been justifiable. The panel in the Nîmes appeals court was presented with visual proof of Gisèle Pelicot’s limp body, unconscious and snoring in a deep sleep, while a smiling the perpetrator performed assault repeatedly over a duration of what police said was 3.5 hours. The court official said she had been at risk of death by suffocation. The state prosecution said there was no question that she had been incapacitated and had not agreed. Defendant's Statements Dogan told the court the videos were simply “intimate moments” and rejected it was violation. He said what he did was “a consensual activity”, not rape. He told the court: “I am innocent of assault.” He said the victim's husband had invited him to the home, and therefore it was acceptable. He said he was manipulated by Dominique Pelicot. “I tried to halt,” Dogan stated to the court. “I carried on because he convinced me.” Questioned if he wanted to make a final statement to the court, Dogan said: “I had no desire to hurt that woman.” Survivor's Statement The victim, who was supported upon leaving court each day by onlookers present to back her, addressed Dogan in court: “You do not grasp. When are you going to recognise you violated me? It is illegal to assault an unaware woman. At what point did I give you permission? Never.” The victim, seventy-two, became an global icon after she relinquished her right to anonymity in the trial last year when she said: “Shame must change sides.” State's Argument The prosecutor, turning to Gisèle Pelicot in court, said the defendant's failure to take accountability showed that: “The shame remains. The public is perhaps in the process of that, maybe motivated by the societal understanding spurred by the exposure of your ordeal.” The prosecutor said the defendant's claims of innocence showed how societal tolerance was still widespread in society as part of “outdated” forms of “gender-based power”. He said: “Now we must change the culture of violence to a society based on agreement.” The prosecutor addressed Dogan: “For as much as you reject it, it’s not just a person, it’s an whole disturbing social system that you are supporting.” Biographical Details The accused was originated from the country of Turkey and at the age of five came to the nation of France, where his father worked as a building manager. The court heard that his father was abusive and that the defendant began consuming marijuana aged 10. When he was seventeen he was caught by authorities for drug trafficking and his parent evicted him the residence. He served time in prison for narcotics offenses in his young adulthood and had worked as a builder but had faced periods of living on the streets. He was married and had a son with special needs, who he was the principal carer for, as his wife worked in a school canteen. The evidence showed his wife did not know he had frequent extramarital activities beyond their union. His legal team said this was his strategy for managing with his stressful life. The defendant had told a court psychologist that each year he sought transactional encounters on his special day. His lawyers told the court he had joint inflammation caused by the stress of the original case.