🔗 Share this article French Appeal Court Increases Jail Time for Gisèle Pelicot Assailant A man has been found guilty on retrial of sexually assaulting Gisèle Pelicot following she was sedated by her spouse – and has had his prison sentence increased to 10 years. Higher Court Case The defendant, forty-four, an unemployed builder, who had appealed his initial guilty verdict last year, experienced a appeal hearing this week at the appeals court in Nîmes. A jury of four women and five men, accompanied by three judges, found Dogan guilty on Thursday of sexually assaulting Pelicot in her bedroom in Provence in the early hours of 29 June 2019. The evidence showed that the accused, a family man, connected with the victim's then husband, Dominique Pelicot, in an online chatroom named “unbeknownst to her”, where the husband was looking for men to come to his home to rape his wife once he had rendered her unconscious into a deep sleep. We expect the panel will declare that in this society, fundamental rights are also rights of women – that permission is individual, not given by another,” said the victim's lawyer, Antoine Camus. “Permission is secured personally and not via a representative from a spouse.” Background The ex-husband, among the most severe sex offenders in France's contemporary records, was handed a sentence to twenty years in prison last year for drugging his spouse and soliciting multiple perpetrators to sexually assault her in her home in the town of the village of Mazan over a duration of many years of their marriage. Numerous other individuals were found guilty in a widely publicized trial last year, and the appellant was the only man to appeal against his sentence. He was initially sentenced to 9 years in prison, a sentence increased on Thursday to a decade. The chief prosecutor, Dominique Sie, had contended he should serve twelve years, because he “stubbornly rejects to take any responsibility”. Courtroom Details The defendant had initially sent the husband graphic images and then driven an hour from his residence in Provence to rape the victim, after informing his wife he was leaving, the testimony revealed. The ex-husband, who was transported from segregation in prison to briefly give evidence at the hearing, told the court that Dogan had been aware his wife had been “incapacitated” and he told to men by phone: “I seek someone to abuse my wife after I’ve rendered her unconscious without her knowledge.” The trial became a focus point for a larger conversation on sexual violence norms in society as the defendant continued to say he was blameless and had not perpetrated assault, arguing that because Gisèle Pelicot’s husband had welcomed him into the room, his actions had been acceptable. The panel in the higher court was displayed recorded footage of Gisèle Pelicot’s unresponsive form, sedated and breathing heavily in a comatose state, while a grinning Dogan engaged in violation multiple times over a timeframe of what police said was 3.5 hours. The judge said she had been at danger of death by asphyxiation. The state's case said there was no question that she had been unaware and had not given permission. Dogan's Claims The defendant told the court the footage were simply “intimate moments” and denied it was assault. He said what he did was “a consensual activity”, not assault. He declared the court: “I am innocent of assault.” He said the victim's husband had allowed him to the house, and therefore it was permissible. He said he was deceived by Dominique Pelicot. “I attempted to cease,” Dogan informed the court. “I continued because he persuaded me.” Questioned if he wanted to make a closing remarks to the court, the defendant said: “I did not intend to harm that individual.” Pelicot's Words The victim, who was applauded upon leaving court each day by crowds gathered to stand with her, said to the defendant in court: “You fail to comprehend. When are you going to recognise you violated me? It’s a crime to rape an unconscious woman. How could I have give you consent? Not once.” Gisèle Pelicot, 72, became an symbol of resistance after she waived her right to confidentiality in the trial last year when she said: “The shame should shift.” Prosecutor's Remarks Sie, turning to Gisèle Pelicot in court, said Dogan’s refusal to take blame showed that: “The shame remains. The public is possibly in the process of that, maybe propelled by the public consciousness spurred by the publication of your situation.” Sie said Dogan’s claims of innocence showed how rape culture was still prevalent in society as part of “old-fashioned” forms of “patriarchal control”. He said: “We need to change the culture of violence to a culture of consent.” The prosecutor said to the defendant: “For as much as you deny it, it’s not just a individual, it’s an complete disturbing societal structure that you are supporting.” Defendant's Background The accused was originated from Turkey and at the age of five came to France, where his father worked as a building manager. The testimony revealed that his father was violent and that Dogan began consuming marijuana at the age of 10. When Dogan was 17 he was caught by authorities for selling narcotics and his father forced him to leave the residence. He spent time in prison for trafficking in his twenties and had worked as a construction worker but had experienced periods of homelessness. He was wed and had a son with special needs, who he was the principal carer for, as his wife worked in a institution's dining hall. The evidence showed his wife did not know he had repeated intimate relations beyond their union. His legal team said this was his method of dealing with his difficult circumstances. Dogan had told a evaluator that each year he looked for paid sex on his birthday. His attorneys informed the court he had arthritis triggered by the pressure of the original case.