The trial took just over four years and 67 days in court, but Gisele Perico found all the men accused of raping and sexually assaulting her while drugged and unconscious. It is said that he felt “relief and relief” at the judge’s decision.
After making a final declaration that she would “respect” the verdict handed down in Avignon, her lawyers said she was “completely exhausted” and glad the marathon trial was over.
“She is truly relieved that all the accused have been found guilty of what they did to her and is relieved that this very long and painful process has finally been brought to an end,” he told the Observer. Ta.
“At first she said, ‘If you do it for two weeks, it’ll work out,’ but she stayed until the end,” he said.
“But for her every day was a fight and she felt like breaking up many times. I can say she takes comfort in the fact that the verdict recognizes that she was a victim of all the defendants.” ”
Babonneau, who has been immersed in this tragic case since taking on it in 2022, said: “From Gisele Pericot’s point of view, there is no judgment that will restore what she lost. 50 at Christmas. She will never be comforted or compensated for in any way by the fact that her family has been separated.
“All Gisele Perico wanted was for the defendant to be found guilty of what he did to her. As for her personal sentence, she respects the court’s decision and I don’t feel any comfort.”
The 15-week trial ended on Thursday after Perico’s ex-husband Dominic, 72, drugged, raped and murdered at least 50, and possibly more than 80, strangers at their home in the Provence town. He was sentenced to up to 20 years in prison for inviting the invitation. To rape Mazan.
The court found all 50 co-accused (47 for rape, two for attempted rape, and two for sexual assault) and sentenced them to prison terms ranging from three to 15 years.
Gisele Perico, who turned 72 during the trial, believes she may have been raped more than 200 times between 2011 and 2020.
Lawyer Antoine Camus, who represented her and the couple’s children David, Caroline and Florian, said the sentence was lower than the prosecution had sought, but was “sensible” and the five judges agreed. He said he handed down separate judgments for each case.
“What was important to Gisele Perico was that all of the defendants were found guilty. They were all held responsible for what they did to her, and she was not a victim for nothing. That’s why Gisele is relieved,” Camus said.
On Saturday, the court released the “motives”, or explanations, for each verdict and sentence. The convicted men now have 10 days to appeal, potentially leading to a new trial by jury rather than the professional judge who tried the Avignon case.
Babonneau said Gisele Perico is prepared to attend any trial.
“She told us she would go there,” he said. “Maybe not every day, but she says she’ll go.”
Agnès Fichaud, a lawyer involved in the historic 1978 Aix-en-Provence rape trial that led to changes in French law, said the Avignon court added “legal and social sanctions” to the verdict and that the convicted He praised the government for making it mandatory for people to undergo treatment. For many years.
“I am convinced that prison is not the place to make perverts realize their perversion, much less to put them back on the path to a (normal) sexual life,” she said. “On the contrary, there are significant risks in feeding and cultivating it.”
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The French government is currently facing calls to introduce the concept of “consent” into France’s rape laws, an issue that has divided women’s groups. Camus calls for caution.
“The current law is not perfect, but it worked in our case, even without consent,” he said. “We should carefully consider any additions to the law and ensure that any changes highlight abusers, not victims.”
Attorney Isabel Steyer said it would take several months to see whether the issues raised in Pericot’s trial had led to any change in attitude, particularly among men.
“I defend rape cases every week and so far I have not seen any change in rape culture,” she told television channel BFMTV.
Gisele Perico will now spend Christmas with family and friends, then decide whether her case will inspire her to become more active in campaigning for better treatment for rape victims. She told the court that she wants all women who have been sexually assaulted to see their ordeal and know that “you are not alone.”
With the unusual decision to allow the press and the public to attend the trial, Gisele Perico became a symbol for women everywhere and a new wave of feminism’s “shame must take a stand.” gave a slogan.
“Right now she is exhausted and wants to take a few weeks off and spend some time in anonymity,” Camus said. “Then she’ll think about what she wants to do, but I’m sure she won’t spend all her time making jam. The battles she’s been fighting have given some meaning to what she’s suffered. She will now consider how her personal story can be useful more broadly.”
Babonneau added: “She’s been invited from all over the world, and she has to decide whether to do that or go back to relative anonymity and say, ‘I’ve done my part.'” We need to think about it,” he added. Of course, complete anonymity is something she will never regain. I hope she does something in the meantime. She never completely disappears.
“We were worried about what would happen after the trial, but she said, ‘I survived November 2, 2020, so now I can survive anything,'” Babonneau said. mentioned the day Gisele Perico learned that her husband had been arrested for filming upskirts of women. He was abusing her in the supermarket and inviting strangers to do the same.
“She had a very positive attitude and that’s how she dealt with things that happened to her. Even at her lowest point, she told us, ‘If you look to the future, you’ll find yourself in a dark place. I thought I would be swallowed up and wouldn’t be able to survive.”
He added, “I have the privilege of being with her every day and I feel I know her well and I trust her. She has her eyes set on the future and it will only get better.” I think it will be full of positive things.
“What she’s doing is a legacy for the future and she hopes it inspires others. She doesn’t want to be seen as an icon or someone special. ”
