Gisele Pelicot cheered following jailing of 'Monster of Avignon' - 'I have no regrets'

Fifty-one men, including Dominique, were found guilty at the courthouse in Avignon.

The French court found 47 of them guilty of rape, two guilty of attempted rape and two guilty of sexual assault.

As she left the court house which she attended nearly every day during the trial, hundreds of people cheered, clapped and sang out her name.

Two women cried and held hands as they shouted “thank you” in unison

Speaking outside the court following the sentencing, the 72-year-old said that the trial had been a “very difficult ordeal” but thanked those who supported her throughout.

She said: “It is with deep emotion that I speak to you today. This trial has been a very difficult ordeal, and at this moment I am thinking first and foremost of my three children, David, Caroline and Florian”, also adding that it was for her grandchildren that she was "fighting this battle," as well as my daughters-in-law.

“I'm also thinking of all the other families affected by this tragedy. I'm also thinking of the unrecognised victims whose stories often remain in the shadows. I want you to know that we share the same struggle”, the 72-year-old added.

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She went on to thank the victims' aid association that supported her, the journalists who followed the trial, and her lawyers.

She concluded: “When I opened the doors of this trial on September 2, I wanted society to be able to seize the debates that took place there. I have never regretted that decision. I now have confidence in our ability to collectively grasp a future in which everyone, women and men alike, can live in harmony, mutual respect and understanding.”

Asked by a reporter what her thoughts on today's sentencing were, she said: "I respect the courts and I respect the decisions.”

She added that she never regretted waving her right to anonymity and “opening the doors” to the trial so that society could see what took place.

Dominique was found guilty of aggravated rape, attempted aggravated rape of the wife of one of the co-accused, Jean Pierre Marechal, Cillia, and taking indecent images of his daughter, Caroline, and his daughters-in-law, Aurore and Celine.

Dominique had already pleaded guilty to the charges during the trial.

Prosecutors asked that he get the maximum penalty after he admitted to drugging his wife of 50 years, and allowing other men to rape her whilst he filmed it.

The case that shocked France to its core only came to light after Dominique was caught filming up women’s skirts in a supermarket in 2020. When questioned, he said he had “acted on urges”.

Police then uncovered more than 20,000 photos of Gisele being assaulted by strangers who were recruited on a forum called ‘Without her knowledge' on a now-shut-down site.

The abuse dates back to 2011, when the couple were living near Paris, and continued after they moved to Mazan two years later.