🔗 Share this article France's Appeal Court Uphighers Jail Time for Gisele Pelicot Rapist A man was convicted on appeal of sexually assaulting Gisele Pelicot following she was rendered comatose by her husband – and was given his prison sentence extended to a decade. Higher Court Case Dogan, 44, an unemployed builder, who had appealed his first conviction last year, underwent a appeal hearing this week at the appeals 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 bedroom in southern France in the morning of June 29, 2019. The court heard that the accused, a married father, connected with Gisèle Pelicot’s husband at the time, Dominique Pelicot, in an digital platform titled “without her consent”, where Pelicot was recruiting men to come to his home to assault his wife once he had drugged her into a deep sleep. We trust the panel will declare that in this country, human rights are also women’s rights – that consent is personal, not given by another,” declared Gisèle Pelicot’s lawyer, Antoine Camus. “Consent is obtained directly and not via a representative from a husband.” Case History The husband, a notorious sexual predators in modern French history, was sentenced to twenty years in prison last year for incapacitating his spouse and bringing in dozens of men to sexually assault her in her home in the community of Mazan over a span of nearly ten years of their union. Dozens of additional defendants were found guilty in a high-profile trial last year, and Dogan was the only man to contest his conviction. He was initially sentenced to nine years in prison, a sentence raised on Thursday to ten years. The chief prosecutor, the prosecutor, had contended he should serve 12 years, because he “stubbornly rejects to take any responsibility”. Courtroom Details The defendant had initially sent the husband inappropriate pictures and then driven an hour from his town in the region to rape Gisèle Pelicot, after informing his wife he was leaving, the court heard. Pelicot, who was transported from solitary confinement in prison to temporarily give evidence at the appeal trial, stated to the court that the accused had been aware his wife had been “drugged” and he communicated to men by phone: “I seek someone to abuse my wife after I’ve sedated her without her consent.” The courtroom became a focus point for a larger conversation on societal attitudes in society as the defendant continued to say he was blameless and had not engaged in violation, arguing that because Gisèle Pelicot’s husband had welcomed him into the bedroom, his conduct had been permissible. The jury in the higher court was shown video evidence of Gisèle Pelicot’s unresponsive form, sedated and snoring in a deep sleep, while a grinning Dogan committed rape on several occasions over a period of what authorities reported was several hours. The court official said she had been at danger of death by asphyxiation. The state prosecution said there was absolute certainty that she had been unconscious and had not consented. Defendant's Statements The defendant told the court the recordings were simply “sex scenes” and disputed it was assault. He said what he did was “a sexual act”, not rape. He stated the court: “I am innocent of assault.” He said the victim's husband had invited him to the house, and therefore it was acceptable. He said he was influenced by Dominique Pelicot. “I wanted to stop,” Dogan informed the court. “I continued because he persuaded me.” Inquired if he wanted to make a last words to the court, Dogan said: “I did not intend to injure that lady.” Survivor's Statement The survivor, who was supported upon leaving court each day by supporters present to back her, addressed Dogan in court: “You haven’t understood. When are you going to recognise you raped me? It is unlawful to rape an unaware woman. At what point did I give you consent? At no time.” Gisèle Pelicot, 72, became an global icon after she gave up her right to privacy in the trial last year when she said: “Guilt ought to transfer.” State's Argument Sie, turning to the victim in court, said Dogan’s failure to take accountability showed that: “Guilt has not shifted. The public is perhaps in the course of that, possibly motivated by the collective awareness resulting from the publication of your ordeal.” The prosecutor said the defendant's claims of innocence showed how societal tolerance was still prevalent in society as part of “archaic” forms of “patriarchal control”. He said: “Now we must change rape culture to a ethos of permission.” Sie addressed Dogan: “While you deny it, it’s not just a individual, it’s an complete unpleasant cultural framework that you are endorsing.” Defendant's Background Dogan was originated from Turkey and at the age of 5 moved to the nation of France, where his father worked as a caretaker. The testimony revealed that his parent was aggressive and that the defendant began using drugs at the age of ten. When he was 17 he was apprehended by authorities for dealing drugs and his parent kicked him out the residence. He was incarcerated in prison for trafficking in his young adulthood and had worked as a construction worker but had faced periods of homelessness. He was married and had a child with special needs, who he was the principal carer for, as his spouse worked in a educational cafeteria. The testimony revealed his spouse did not know he had regular sexual encounters outside their union. His legal team said this was his method of dealing with his challenging existence. The defendant had informed a mental health expert that each year he sought commercial sex on his birthday. His attorneys told the court he had arthritis triggered by the stress of the initial proceedings.