Beatrice Zavarro, the lawyer representing Dominique Pelicot, has announced that her client will not be appealing his conviction for drugging and raping his wife, as well as facilitating the rape by others.
Zavarro explained that the 77-year-old former electrician, who received the maximum sentence of 20 years this month, aims to spare his ex-wife, Gisèle Pelicot, from further trauma. She noted the potential risks of a new trial in front of a public jury, which could result in an even longer sentence.
A French court had previously found Pelicot guilty of drugging and sexually assaulting his wife repeatedly over nearly a decade. He was also implicated in inviting 50 other individuals to commit sexual assaults, all of whom were found guilty after a lengthy three-and-a-half-month trial.
Those convicted have until midnight on Monday to file their appeals. Reports suggest that at least 17 of them plan to contest their convictions, with more potentially following suit.
Gisèle Pelicot, 72, a retired logistics manager, fears she could have been raped over 200 times by her husband and various other men between 2011 and 2020.
On Monday, Zavarro stated, as reported by the Guardian UK, that Dominique Pelicot opted not to appeal because it would subject Gisèle to further distress and confrontation, which he wishes to avoid. She emphasized that challenging the guilty verdict, given that Pelicot has admitted to the charges, would be an “unnecessary risk.”
“It is time to bring this to a close through judicial means,” Zavarro concluded on Monday.
