French court extends sentence of man convicted of Gisele Pelicot rape

"The court and jury sentence Husamettin Dogan to 10 years in prison along with mandatory treatment for five years, presiding judge Christian Pasta said on Thursday. Standing in the dock at the court in the southern city of Nimes, Dogan did not react to the verdict. Pelicot returned to court this week to face the only man, out of 51, who appealed against his guilty verdict. She called for victims to never be ashamed of what was forced upon them."

"A French court has rejected the appeal of a man found guilty of raping Gisele Pelicot after she was drugged by her husband and increased his sentence to 10 years. Husamettin Dogan, a 44-year-old construction worker, was convicted of sexually abusing Gisele Pelicot, 72, in a landmark case last December, with witnesses testifying in his appeal earlier this week that Dogan was fully aware Gisele Pelicot was asleep while he was assaulting her."

"Prior to Dogan's sentencing, French prosecutor Dominique Sie called for his jail term to be increased to 12 years the term prosecutors had initially sought because of Dogan's stance, in all its rigidity, as he absolutely refuses to take any responsibility. As long as you refuse to admit it, it's not just a woman, it's an entire sordid social system that you are endorsing, Sie said. Dogan claimed he was not a rapist and insisted he thought he was participating in consensual sexual activity."

Husamettin Dogan's appeal was rejected and his prison sentence increased to 10 years with mandatory five years of treatment. Dogan, 44, was convicted of sexually abusing 72-year-old Gisele Pelicot after she was drugged by her husband. Witnesses testified that Dogan was fully aware Pelicot was asleep while he assaulted her. Dogan denied being a rapist and claimed he believed the encounters were consensual. Prosecutors had sought a 12-year sentence, citing Dogan's refusal to accept responsibility. Pelicot's ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, admitted drugging his wife for more than a decade and recruiting men to abuse her, filmed assaults involving at least 50 men, and received a 20-year sentence.

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