Prosecutors demand maximum sentence for Gisèle Pelicot's ex-husband in mammoth rape trial in France

AVIGNON, France (AP) — A mammoth rape trial in France moved into a new phase Monday with prosecutors beginning to lay out the verdicts and punishments they want for dozens of men accused of raping Gisèle Pelicot while she was drugged and rendered unconscious by her husband.

After hearings stretching over nearly three months, the trial in the southern city of Avignon is beginning to wrap up, with the prosecutors’ summing up of the verdicts they want for the 51 accused.

They started Monday by focusing on Dominique Pelicot, the man that 71-year-old Gisèle Pelicot was married to for nearly 50 years. He has acknowledged that for years, he mixed sedatives into her food and drink, so he could rape her and also invite dozens of strangers to rape her, too.

Prosecutor Laure Chabaud asked for the maximum possible penalty for aggravated rape — 20 years — against Gisèle Pelicot’s now ex-husband. The 72-year-old stared down at the floor, one hand on the handle of his cane, as the prosecutor spoke.

“Twenty years between the four walls of a prison,” she said. “It’s both a lot and not enough.”

The court is expected to deliver its verdicts before Dec. 20.