Gisele Pelicot makes emotional statement after watching her sobbing husband jailed alongside fellow rapists - as daughter screams 'you will die like a dog'
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Gisele Pelicot has given a powerful statement after the jailing of her depraved husband and his rapist accomplices, saying she has 'never regretted' her decision to waive her anonymity and that she did so to reveal to the world what they had done. Dominique Pelicot cried as he was sentenced to the maximum of 20 years in prison for raping and organising the mass rape of his wife - with all of his 50 co-defendants also receiving guilty verdicts for their part in France's most notorious sex crimes trial.
![[Gisele Pelicot is seen entering the courtroom moments before the verdicts were delivered]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/19/11/93309033-14209229-Gisele_Pelicot_is_seen_entering_the_courtroom_moments_before_the-m-85_1734607633118.jpg)
Madame Pelicot later emerged from the courtroom to the waiting cameras of the world's media, saying she was 'emotional' as she issued a statement after what she said had been 'a very difficult test for me.'. 'I am thinking first and foremost about my children, David, Caroline and Florian. I am thinking also about my grandchildren. For them I really wanted to take this struggle forward.
![[David Pelicot, one of Gisele's two sons, is seen giving a thumbs up as he takes a phone call outside the courthouse after his father was given the maximum sentence of 20 years in jail]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/19/10/93309021-14209229-image-a-27_1734605175471.jpg)
'I'm thinking about all the other families affected by the case and the not recognised victims in the shadows... I share their struggle.'. She went on to share her 'deepest gratitude' to all those who supported her throughout the trial, describing how 'witness statements and testimonials really gave me strength to keep coming back' throughout the three-month ordeal.
![[Dominique Pelicot is seen leaving court after being found guilty of all the charges and handed the maximum 20 year prison sentence]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/19/11/93311191-14209229-image-a-3_1734608778410.jpg)
Referring to why she waived her anonymity, she said: 'I wanted when I started with this case on September 2 to ensure that society could see what was happening and I have never regretted this decision. 'I want to take hold of a future in which everybody, women and men, can live together in harmony, respect and mutual understanding.'.
![[Gisele Pelicot smiled as she was applauded by crowds outside the courthouse in Avignon this morning, ahead of the verdicts being delivered]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/19/10/93309035-14209229-image-a-25_1734605054799.jpg)
