Gisele Pelicot was defended by lawyer Stephane Babonneau in her case
The 72-year-old Gisele Pelicot has been praised as a feminist legend and hero for her bravery and decency during the three-month trial, which concluded Thursday with the conviction of all 51 defendants.
After a French court found her ex-husband Dominique Pelicot guilty on Thursday of repeatedly drugging and r*ping her for nearly ten years, as well as inviting dozens of strangers to r*pe her unconscious body, Gisele Pelicot said in a statement that she “never regretted” the decision to make her trial which took place in the Avignon Assize Court public.
Who is Paris advocate Stephane Babonneau, lawyer of Gisele Pelicot in r*pe case, biography, education, law firm and photos
Additionally, all 50 of the Frenchman’s co-defendants were convicted of s*xual assault, r*pe, or attempted r*pe.
Over a period of nine years, from July 2011 to October 2020, Dominique Pelicot, a man from Mazan in south-eastern France, repeatedly drugged his wife, r*ped her, and invited strangers to r*pe her while she was unconscious with Gisele r*ped 92 times by 72 men while her husband filmed them. The crimes were discovered in September 2020 with the trial taking place in Avignon. His wife Gisele was represented in the trial by Stephane Babonneau.
“We heard many times that they are ordinary men… but they’re not ordinary in the choices they made.”
Stéphane Babonneau, lawyer for Gisèle Pelicot, discusses the accused in the ongoing rape trial.#Newsnight pic.twitter.com/SmldIxV8vD
— BBC Newsnight (@BBCNewsnight) December 10, 2024
Criminal Defense attorney Stephane Babonneau graduated from Sciences Po Paris from where he did his major in Finance and Strategy from 2006-2009 and the University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas in 2009, he handles both general criminal law and white collar criminal law cases and was called to the Bar in 2008.
He owns the BABONNEAU MARIOTTI law firm in Paris, France. BABONNEAU-MARIOTTI brings together a team of experienced lawyers and experts in criminal law, led by lawyers Stéphane Babonneau and Eduardo Mariotti. Since 2016, the attorneys of BABONNEAU MARIOTTI have handled successfully several thousand cases before criminal courts throughout France and French overseas territories.
Their lawyers have a particular expertise in white collar crimes due to there double education in corporate and criminal law and have successfully defended managers and CEOs against accusations of fraud and embezzelment.
If the defendants appeal, Gisele Pelicot, the French lady whose ex-husband was sentenced to 20 years in prison for planning and carrying out mass r*pes against her with scores of strangers, won’t be afraid of a fresh trial, her attorney stated on Friday, December 20.
“She doesn’t want to be seen as an icon. She doesn’t want to be seen as someone extraordinary. And in reality, she is someone who remains very simple and who has decided to try to live her life in the most normal way”, her attorney said.
At last, Gisele Pelicot's public trauma will come to an end. I hope all her rapists will be jailed for maximum 20 years. None of their excuses were plausible
Her lawyer Stéphane Babonneau was superb throughout#r4today #BBCBreakfast #JeremyVine https://t.co/ke5VPty1Up pic.twitter.com/PlFT6gx6fz
— Cass Blakeman ✍️ Books to read & to finish writing (@WistfulCass) December 19, 2024
However, she risks having to go through another trial after calling the process a “difficult ordeal,” as two defendants have already filed an appeal and her ex-husband’s attorney has not ruled out doing the same.
The security guard who discovered Dominique Pelicot’s horrible crimes after he saw him upskirting women at a supermarket has recalled the “fear” and “terror” in his eyes.
At the LeClerc shopping centre, Thibaut Rey, 38, saw the serial r*pist taking pictures of three women. He approached him and held his phone until the police came to arrest him.
After confessing to drugging his wife to allow him and other people to torture her while filming it, ex-husband Dominique Pelicot sobbed as he was found guilty and sentenced to the maximum 20-year prison term.
French President Emmanuel Macron praised Gisele
Pelicot’s wife and mass r*pe victim Gisele Pelicot has received praise from French President Emmanuel Macron for her bravery and dignity, saying it has “moved and inspired France and around the world.”
Her children are criticizing the “low” punishments in France’s most terrible r*pe case, in which 51 men were found guilty and sentenced to a total of 428 years in prison.