Accra: Following the conviction of 51 men in France for the abuse of Gis¨le Pelicot, a court is hearing an appeal starting on Monday by a man against his sentence for rape. The 44-year-old was sentenced to nine years in prison at the end of last year. He is the only one of the initially 17 convicted individuals, who is appealing their conviction. The trial before the criminal court in the southern French city of N®mes, is scheduled until Wednesday.

According to Ghana News Agency, Gis¨le Pelicot’s husband, Dominique, confessed in court to having repeatedly drugged, abused and allowed strangers to rape his then-wife over nearly 10 years. He received the maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. All 50 co-defendants were also found guilty, mostly of aggravated rape, and sentenced to prison terms ranging from three to 15 years.

Gis¨le Pelicot, 72, insisted that the trial be held publicly, thereby ensuring that rapes and the abuse of women became a focus of public debate far beyond France. In just a few weeks, she became a role model and a feminist icon. The years-long sexual abuse of Gis¨le Pelicot was uncovered by chance. Dominique Pelicot was arrested in September 2020, after filming women under their skirts in a supermarket.

Police officers examined the man’s computer, which contained hundreds of photos and videos documenting the abuse of his wife. Gis¨le herself was unaware of the assaults, due to the strong medication her then-husband secretly mixed into her food. She believes she suffered around 200 rapes. Investigators also suspect a dozen other perpetrators, who could not be identified.

Dominique Pelicot had sought contact with dozens of men on an online platform. Many of the perpetrators later claimed they believed it was a sex game between the couple, and denied the accusation of rape in court, arguing that the then-husband had consented. The convicted individual, whose appeal is now being heard, also maintains this position.

Meanwhile, Dominique Pelicot is still under investigation on suspicion of rape and the murder of a 23-year-old in 1991 in Paris, as well as on suspicion of attempted rape of an 18-year-old in 1999 in the Paris suburbs. In both cases, the perpetrator is said to have used ether to sedate the victims. These women worked for real-estate agencies, and were attacked during a property viewing.