A French court found all 51 defendants guilty Thursday of gang rape, including Dominique Pelliquot, who repeatedly drugged his then-wife Gisele and forced dozens of strangers to rape her in the family home. Gave the permission to.
Here is a brief profile of the men who received the longest sentences. Everyone has 10 days to decide whether to appeal their sentence.
Dominic Pellicote, 72, Married Gisele in 1973. The couple, now divorced, had three children and Gisele said she thought their marriage was a happy one. Professionally, Pellicott struggled, working as an electrician and then in real estate, but he had to ask family members for loans. Addressing the court in September, he said he had a very difficult upbringing and was himself a victim of rape. He said he wanted his wife to participate in partner swapping and that her refusal, combined with the trauma of his youth, contributed to his abusive behavior. On Thursday he was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Romain Vandevelde, 63, According to court documents, he had a difficult childhood. The fourth of nine children, her home was extremely violent and she was raped in her childhood. He married, joined the army, and later divorced. He visited the Pellicotes’ home six times in 2019 and 2020 and told the court he was alone. He admitted that he knew she was HIV positive when he raped Giselle without wearing a condom. He said that he is being treated for the disease and cannot spread the virus. He denied the rape charges and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Dominic Davis, 45, The man, a truck driver and former soldier, raped Gisele during six visits to the Pellicotes’ home since 2015. Davis, who grew up in a foster home, told police he began visiting the now-defunct coco.fr website, where he linked. With Dominique Pellicote due to his wife’s lack of sexual desire. According to the police report, the fact that Giselle was “completely submissive and reduced to a sexual object contributed to his arousal.” He said he left his clothes outside the patio door of the Pellicotes’ house so that if Gisele woke up she could quickly escape. In court, he admitted “significant facts” as evidence from the video footage, but said he had “no intention of committing a criminal act.” He was sentenced to 13 years in prison.
Charlie Arbo, 30, He had a difficult childhood, with his parents separating when he was six and reports of some neglect and violence from his past. He was lonely and did odd jobs because he was not very successful in school. The investigation’s psychological analysis found that he was intellectually immature and struggled with low self-esteem and cannabis addiction. He visited the Pellicotes’ home six times between 2018 and 2020. For the first time he was 22 years old and Gisele was 64 years old. He was sentenced to 13 years in prison.
Jerome Villella, 46, Visited the Pellicotes’ home six times in a little over three months in 2020. He told investigators that he had a difficult childhood, with unloving parents and bullying at school. He was once a volunteer fireman, but struggled with sex addiction and had a history of infidelity and breakups. The father of three pleaded guilty to rape charges and said he knew Gisele had been drugged. He was sentenced to 13 years in prison.
Jean-Pierre Maréchal, 63, The only defendant not accused of rape or abuse was Gisele Pellicot. Instead, encouraged by Dominic Pellicott, he drugged his wife and allowed Pellicott to come to his home several times to rape her. Court documents say he had a difficult childhood: his mother was an alcoholic and his father sexually abused him and other family members. He worked at a garden center and had no criminal record before his arrest. Some of his six children testified on his behalf. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
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