🔗 Share this article France's Higher Court Raises Prison Term for Gisèle Pelicot Rapist A defendant has been found guilty on retrial of sexually assaulting Gisele Pelicot following she was rendered comatose by her spouse – and received his incarceration period raised to ten years. Retrial Proceedings Husamettin Dogan, forty-four, an out-of-work construction worker, who had appealed his initial guilty verdict last year, faced a appeal hearing this week at the higher court in Nîmes. A jury of five men and four women, joined by three judges, ruled against Dogan on Thursday of raping Pelicot in her home in Provence in the morning of 29 June 2019. The evidence showed that the accused, a family man, made contact with the victim's husband at the time, Dominique Pelicot, in an internet forum titled “unbeknownst to her”, where the husband was recruiting men to come to his home to assault his wife after he had sedated her into a unconscious state. We trust the panel will affirm that in this nation, human rights are also women’s rights – that permission is personal, not delegated,” stated Gisèle Pelicot’s attorney, Antoine Camus. “Agreement is obtained personally and not via a representative from a spouse.” Background The husband, a notorious sexual predators in France's contemporary records, was handed a sentence to 20 years in prison last year for drugging his wife at the time and soliciting dozens of men to sexually assault her in her home in the town of Mazan over a duration of many years of their marriage. Dozens of additional defendants were found convicted in a widely publicized trial last year, and the appellant was the sole individual to challenge his verdict. He was first given a sentence to 9 years in prison, a punishment increased on Thursday to ten years. The state's attorney, Dominique Sie, had stated he should serve twelve years, because he “stubbornly rejects to take any blame”. Testimony and Proof The defendant had first sent Dominique Pelicot inappropriate pictures and then driven an hour from his village in the region to rape Gisèle Pelicot, after notifying his wife he was stepping out, the court heard. The ex-husband, who was brought from isolation in prison to briefly give evidence at the appeal trial, told the court that Dogan had been aware his wife had been “incapacitated” and he communicated to men by phone: “I seek someone to violate my wife after I’ve sedated her without her knowledge.” The proceedings became a central issue for a wider discussion on rape culture in society as Dogan continued to say he was innocent and had not engaged in violation, arguing that because the victim's husband had welcomed him into the room, his behavior had been permissible. The panel in the higher court was displayed video evidence of the victim's unconscious figure, comatose and snoring in a unconscious condition, while a smiling the perpetrator committed rape repeatedly over a timeframe of what police said was 3.5 hours. The judge said she had been at risk of death by choking. The prosecution said there was no doubt that she had been unconscious and had not given permission. Dogan's Claims Dogan stated to the court the recordings were simply “sex scenes” and disputed it was assault. He said what he did was “a consensual activity”, not rape. He stated the court: “I never raped.” He said the victim's husband had brought him to the house, and therefore it was permissible. He said he was influenced by the husband. “I wanted to stop,” the accused told the court. “I carried on because he persuaded me.” Questioned if he wanted to make a closing remarks to the court, the defendant said: “I did not intend to injure that individual.” Pelicot's Words Gisèle Pelicot, who was cheered upon departing the trial each day by supporters assembled to support her, told the defendant in court: “You fail to comprehend. When are you going to recognise you assaulted me? It is unlawful to rape an unconscious woman. At what point did I give you consent? Never.” Gisèle Pelicot, seventy-two, became an symbol of resistance after she gave up her right to confidentiality in the trial last year when she said: “Shame must change sides.” State's Argument Sie, turning to Gisèle Pelicot in court, said Dogan’s failure to take accountability showed that: “The shame remains. Society is maybe in the process of that, possibly propelled by the public consciousness resulting from the publication of your case.” The prosecutor said the defendant's claims of non-guilt showed how societal tolerance was still widespread in society as part of “old-fashioned” forms of “gender-based power”. He said: “Now we must change the culture of violence to a society based on agreement.” The prosecutor told the defendant: “While you refuse to admit it, it’s not just a woman, it’s an entire unpleasant cultural framework that you are endorsing.” Personal History The accused was originated from the country of Turkey and at the age of five relocated to the nation of France, where his father worked as a concierge. The testimony revealed that his father was violent and that the defendant began using drugs aged ten. When Dogan was 17 he was caught by police for dealing drugs and his father kicked him out of home. He served time in prison for drug dealing in his young adulthood and had worked as a laborer but had faced periods of living on the streets. He was wed and had a son with a genetic condition, who he was the principal carer for, as his spouse worked in a educational cafeteria. The testimony revealed his wife did not know he had repeated sexual encounters outside their union. His defence said this was his way of coping with his challenging existence. Dogan had stated to a mental health expert that each year he looked for commercial sex on his birthday. His legal representatives told the court he had arthritis triggered by the stress of the initial proceedings.