Who Are the 51 Men Convicted in the Gisèle Pelicot Rape Trial?

Most of the accused received sentences of eight to 10 years, less than the 10- to 18-year terms that the public prosecutor had recommended.

By  Loèrra Lovdn  | Dec 20, 2024 at 10:31 a.m. ET Updated

All 51 defendants in the Gisèle Pelicot rape trial were found guilty on Thursday. Most of the accused received sentences of eight to 10 years, less than the 10- to 18-year terms that the public prosecutor had recommended.

Ms. Pelicot’s ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, who admitted to drugging and raping her over nearly a decade and bringing other men to their home to participate, received the maximum sentence of 20 years.

Fifteen of the 50 others were sentenced to eight years. In all, 41 of the men received prison sentences, including 18 who were already behind bars during the trial. Three were given deferred sentences because of their health, and six were released because of time already served. One is on the run and was tried and sentenced in absentia.

The French news media labeled the defendants, who range in age from 27 to 74, “Monsieur Tout-le-monde,” or Mr. Every Man, because of how varied and ordinary they appeared during the trial. Most were employed in jobs that reflect the middle- and working-class rural France they come from: truck drivers, carpenters, a prison guard, a nurse, an I.T. expert working for a bank, a local journalist.

Here are some of the others convicted:

• Jean-Pierre Maréchal: He pleaded guilty not to violating Ms. Pelicot, but to following Dominique Pelicot’s blueprint and drugging and raping his own wife — and inviting Mr. Pelicot along. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison. The prosecutor had recommended 17. (Mr. Pelicot was also convicted of raping Mr. Maréchal’s wife.) Mr. Maréchal’s lawyer, Paul Gontard, said after the sentencing that he did not intend to file an appeal.
• Charly Arbo: A laborer at a cement company, he was among the youngest accused, and was sentenced to 13 years. Mr. Arbo was 22 when he first went to the Pelicots’ home in 2016. While most of the men said they had gone to the home once, Mr. Arbo went six times.
• Joseph Cocco: Mr. Cocco, a retired manager of a beer company subsidiary, was convicted on a lesser charge of aggravated sexual assault. He was among the few defendants who asked Ms. Pelicot for forgiveness. He was sentenced to four years.