In the globally publicized trial in Avignon, it was time on Monday for the prosecutors to request sentences for Dominique Pélicot, charged with, among other things, many years of rape against his wife Gisèle Pélicot.
20 years in prison is both a lot and too little, says prosecutor Laure Chabaud in court according to BFMTV's live reporting.
She continues that 20 years is a large part of someone's life. In Dominique Pélicot's case, essentially a life sentence, since he will soon turn 72 years old. But the prosecutor is simultaneously clearly dissatisfied with the highest sentence that can be handed down for rape in France.
It is too little in light of the seriousness of these repeated actions.
Reasonable sentence
The 20-year limit means that the court is bound by a "glass ceiling", she says.
And Dominique Pélicot's defense attorney Béatrice Zavarro agrees that the maximum sentence is reasonable "considering the circumstances and the serious crimes he is accused of", reports news agency AP.
The 71-year-old main defendant has admitted to drugging his former wife, raping her, and inviting other men to participate. It is said to involve several hundred rapes over nearly a decade.
Verdict pending
Even many of the co-defendants, around 50 men, risk 20 years in prison.
The trial has been ongoing for months and has received widespread attention. Pélicot has been called "the monster from Avignon" and one of France's worst sex offenders ever.
The verdict may be delayed until December 20.
