🔗 Share this article French Appeal Tribunal Increases Jail Time for Gisele Pelicot Perpetrator An individual has been found guilty on retrial of raping Gisèle Pelicot after she was drugged unconscious by her spouse – and received his jail term raised to ten years. Higher Court Case Husamettin Dogan, 44, an unemployed builder, who had challenged his first conviction last year, faced a appeal hearing this week at the higher court in Nîmes. A jury of nine jurors, joined by three judges, ruled against Dogan on Thursday of raping Pelicot in her home in southern France in the morning of 29 June 2019. The testimony revealed that the accused, a family man, reached out to the victim's husband at the time, the husband, in an digital platform titled “without her knowledge”, where the husband was recruiting men to come to his home to assault his wife after he had rendered her unconscious into a deep sleep. “We hope the jury will affirm that in this country, human rights are also women’s rights – that agreement is individual, not delegated,” stated Gisèle Pelicot’s lawyer, her legal representative. “Permission is obtained personally and not via a representative from a spouse.” Context The ex-husband, one of the worst sex offenders in recent French history, was sentenced to 20 years in prison last year for incapacitating his then wife and soliciting numerous individuals to rape her in her home in the community of the village of Mazan over a span of nearly ten years of their union. Fifty other men were found convicted in a notable trial last year, and the appellant was the only man to appeal against his conviction. He was initially sentenced to 9 years in prison, a sentence enhanced on Thursday to a decade. The state's attorney, the prosecutor, had argued he should serve 12 years, because he “absolutely refuses to take any blame”. Testimony and Proof Dogan had initially sent the husband graphic images and then traveled an hour from his residence in Provence to assault the victim, after telling his wife he was stepping out, the testimony revealed. The ex-husband, who was brought from solitary confinement in prison to briefly give evidence at the hearing, informed the court that the accused had understood his wife had been “incapacitated” and he communicated to men by phone: “I want someone to violate my wife after I’ve rendered her unconscious unbeknownst to her.” The trial became a central issue for a broader debate on societal attitudes in society as Dogan continued to claim he was not guilty and had not committed rape, stating that because Gisèle Pelicot’s husband had welcomed him into the residence, his conduct had been justifiable. The panel in the higher court was presented with recorded footage of the victim's unresponsive form, unconscious and breathing heavily in a comatose state, while a smiling the perpetrator engaged in violation multiple times over a timeframe of what authorities reported was 3.5 hours. The court official said she had been at risk of death by suffocation. The state prosecution said there was absolute certainty that she had been incapacitated and had not agreed. Accused's Testimony The defendant informed the court the videos were simply “sex scenes” and denied it was rape. He said what he did was “an intimate behavior”, not rape. He stated the court: “I did not commit rape.” He said the victim's husband had allowed him to the house, and therefore it was acceptable. He said he was influenced by the husband. “I attempted to cease,” the accused informed the court. “I carried on because he persuaded me.” Questioned if he wanted to make a final statement to the court, the defendant said: “I did not intend to hurt that individual.” Pelicot's Words Gisèle Pelicot, who was supported upon departing the trial each day by supporters present to back her, told the defendant in court: “You haven’t understood. When will you admit you violated me? It is illegal to rape an incapacitated woman. At what point did I give you consent? At no time.” Gisèle Pelicot, 72, became an symbol of resistance after she waived her right to confidentiality in the trial last year when she said: “Guilt ought to transfer.” Legal Commentary Sie, turning to Gisèle Pelicot in court, said Dogan’s failure to take blame showed that: “Shame has not yet changed sides. The community is possibly in the course of that, maybe propelled by the public consciousness resulting from the exposure of your case.” The prosecutor said the defendant's claims of non-guilt showed how rape culture was still prevalent in society as part of “outdated” forms of “gender-based power”. He said: “We need to change rape culture to a culture of consent.” Sie said to Dogan: “For as much as you reject it, it’s not just a person, it’s an entire unpleasant social system that you are upholding.” Biographical Details The accused was originated from the country of Turkey and at the age of five came to France, where his father worked as a building manager. The testimony revealed that his parent was abusive and that the defendant began smoking cannabis aged 10. When he was seventeen he was apprehended by police for dealing drugs and his father kicked him out the family house. He served time in prison for narcotics offenses in his young adulthood and had worked as a builder but had undergone periods of homelessness. He was married and had a child with a genetic condition, who he was the main caregiver for, as his spouse worked in a institution's dining hall. The testimony revealed his wife did not know he had regular sexual encounters outside their union. His legal team said this was his way of coping with his stressful life. The defendant had stated to a evaluator that annually he engaged in paid sex on his birthday. His attorneys told the court he had joint inflammation caused by the anxiety of the initial proceedings.