A French court on Thursday sentenced Gisèle Pelicot's ex-husband to the maximum term of 20 years jail for committing and orchestrating the mass rapes targeting her with dozens of strangers he recruited online.

Dominique Pelicot, who had already confessed to the crimes, was earlier found guilty by the court in the southern city of Avignon after a more than three-month trial that shocked France.

Including Dominique Pelicot, all 51 defendants in the case were convicted by the court with no acquittals.

His 50 co-defendants received jail terms of between three and 15 years -- less than what prosecutors had demanded.

Two of these defendants had their jail terms suspended.

Pelicot, the now ex-husband of the 72-year-old grandmother, admitted that for years he knocked his wife of 50 years out with drugs so he and strangers he recruited online could abuse and rape her while he filmed the assaults.

The appalling ordeal inflicted over nearly a decade on Gisèle Pelicot, in what she thought was a loving marriage, and her courage during the bruising and stunning trial have transformed the retired power company worker into a feminist hero of the nation.

Stretching over more than three months, the trial galvanised campaigners against sexual violence and spurred calls for tougher measures to stamp out rape culture. (Agencies)
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Last updated: 2024-12-19 HKT 18:26