The 50 males accused in mass rape of Gisèle Pelicotprinted at 06:43 Greenwich Mean Time
Laura Gozzi
Reporting from Avignon
Image supply, ReutersCollectively, the defendants accused of raping Gisèle Pelicot are going through greater than 600 years in jail
They are younger, outdated, burly, skinny, black and white. Among them are firefighters, lorry drivers, troopers, safety guards, a journalist and a DJ.
These are the 50 males accused of raping Gisèle Pelicot on the behest of her husband, Dominique Pelicot, 72, who drugged her for a decade with prescription sleeping capsules.
The reality they broadly symbolize a microcosm of French society means they’ve been dubbed Monsieur-Tout-Le-Monde (Mr Everyman).
They are as a consequence of be sentenced right this moment. If discovered responsible, collectively they face greater than 600 years in jail.
Just a few of them acted defiant, however they largely seemed down as they answered questions from the judges, wanting up sometimes to catch their attorneys’ eyes for reassurance.
Most of the 50 all come from cities and villages in a 50km (30 mile) radius of the Pelicots’ personal village of Mazan.
Some defence attorneys have seen of their ordinariness a helpful line of defence. “Ordinary individuals do extraordinary issues,” mentioned Antoine Minier, a lawyer representing three defendants.
“I feel nearly all people may find yourself in a scenario – properly, perhaps not precisely like this one – however might be inclined to committing a critical crime,” he instructed the BBC.
