Appeal Results in Longer Sentence in Pelicot Case

UPDATE Oct 9, 2025 11:33 AM CDT

Only one of the 51 men convicted of sexually abusing Gisèle Pelicot after her then-husband drugged her appealed his sentence—and it was a gamble that he lost. A French appeals court sentenced Husamettin Dogan to 10 years on Thursday, Le Monde reports. The 44-year-old's original sentence was nine years. Prosecutors said he deserved at least 12 years for raping Pelicot while she was unconscious. "We hope that this jury will say loud and clear that in France, human rights are also women's rights, that you cannot get consent from a husband, and that a sexual act imposed on a sleeping body is a rape," attorney Antoine Camus said.

Oct 8, 2025 3:23 PM CDT

In a packed French courtroom on Wednesday, Gisèle Pelicot faced the sole man appealing his conviction for raping her while she was drugged. Pelicot, now 72, spoke directly to Husamettin Dogan: "You haven't understood. When are you going to recognize you raped me? It's a crime to rape an unconscious woman. When did I ever give you consent? Never." She added, per the New York Times, "I would have thought in one year, he would have reflected on what happened and not be in denial."

The crimes, orchestrated by Pelicot's then-husband Dominique, spanned nearly a decade. Dominique admitted to drugging Pelicot and inviting men he met online to assault her while she was incapacitated. In December, Dominique and dozens of others were convicted, receiving sentences from three to 20 years. Dogan, who was sentenced to nine years, claims he thought the sexual encounter was consensual, citing online exchanges and alleged assurances from Dominique that Pelicot had intentionally taken relaxants as part of a "game" and would wake up "little by little"; Dominique on Tuesday countered that he told Dogan he had drugged his wife, the Times reported.

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During the appeal in Nîmes, the court viewed video evidence showing Pelicot immobile and unresponsive as Dogan penetrated her eight times; the Guardian notes he is seen smiling in the footage. Dogan maintained he had not committed rape—which he told the court involved "someone who is tied up and forced"—and answered in the affirmative when a lawyer asked if he saw himself as a victim. It was a claim Pelicot sharply rejected: "The only victim in the room here is me," she stated. A verdict in Dogan's appeal is expected Thursday, and Courthouse News reports his decision to appeal is "a gamble," as the sentence could be lowered or raised to as many as 20 years.