AVIGNON, France - A French court found Dominique Pelicot guilty on Thursday of repeatedly drugging and raping his wife for almost a decade, and inviting dozens of strangers to rape her unconscious body in a case that has horrified the world.

All the Frenchman's 50 co-defendants were also found guilty of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault, while their victim, Gisele Pelicot, sat in the packed courtroom to hear the sentencing, having waived her right to anonymity.

Gisele, 72, has become a symbol of female courage and resilience during the three-month trial and crowds of supporters outside the courthouse in the southern city of Avignon cheered as she appeared after the verdicts had been read out.

"This trial was a very difficult ordeal," she said in her first comments at the end of the sentencing, adding that she did not regret her decision to let the case be heard in public.

"I now have confidence in our ability to collectively seize a future in which each woman and man can live in harmony with respect and mutual understanding. I thank you," she said.

Dominique Pelicot, who was married to Gisele for 50 years, had pleaded guilty to the charges and a panel of five judges sentenced him to the maximum 20 years in jail, as requested by prosecutors.

The court found 46 of the other defendants guilty of rape, two guilty of attempted rape and two guilty of sexual assault, handing down sentences of between three and 15 years in jail, less than the four-to-18 years demanded by the prosecution.

All the defendants have 10 days to decide whether to appeal, and Dominique Pelicot's lawyer said he was considering this option.

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"Shame on the justice system," some of the waiting crowd chanted when they found out about the lighter-than-requested prison terms. Gisele herself told reporters that she respected the court decisions.

Many of the accused had denied the charges, saying they thought it was a consensual sex game orchestrated by the couple and arguing that it was not rape if the husband approved.

Dominique Pelicot, 72, denied misleading the men, whom he had met online, saying they knew exactly what they were doing. "I am a rapist like the others in this room," he said during testimony.

Gisele, who is also 72, had demanded that horrifying videos of the serial abuse, which were recorded by her then husband, should be seen in court, saying she hoped this would help other women speak up.

The trial has triggered protest rallies around France in support of Gisele, and spurred soul searching, including a debate on whether to update France's rape law, which at present makes no mention that sex should involve consent.

Gisele stared down her abusers with steely determination day after day, scoffing at any claim she might have been a willing participant. "I've decided not to be ashamed, I've done nothing wrong," she testified in October. "They are the ones who must be ashamed," she said.

Horrifying secrets

The Pelicots' children, David, Caroline and Florian, arrived in court to hear the verdict alongside their mother. The siblings have spoken out forcibly against their father, rejecting his pleas for forgiveness.

The defendants come from all walks of life - lorry drivers, soldiers, firefighters, security guards, farm workers, a supermarket worker, a journalist and the unemployed. Dominique Pelicot had worked as an electrician and estate agent.

The youngest suspect was just 22 when he entered Gisele Pelicot's bedroom, while the oldest was in his early 70s. Many had children and were in relationships. Most lived within a 50-km radius of the Pelicots' picturesque village of Mazan, which nestles in vineyards below Mont Ventoux.

The case only came to light in 2020, when Dominique was caught trying to take photographs up the skirts of women in a supermarket. Police then discovered more than 20,000 photos and videos on his computer drives revealing the horrifying secrets that he had hidden from his now ex-wife for a decade.

Police believe 72 men had gone to the house to rape and abuse Gisele, but they were not able to identify them all.

Pelicot acknowledged that he had put powerful tranquilizers into his wife's food and coffee that put her to sleep for hours. Gisele said she was worried she was developing Alzheimer's or had a brain tumor because of the memory gaps.

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She says she hopes the enormous interest in her case will help other women who have suffered sexual abuse, and brushes off praise for her own bravery in letting the world see her pain.

"It's not courage. It's determination to change things," she told the court in October. "This is not just my battle, but that of all rape victims."