Avignon (France) (AFP) - Gisele Pelicot’s ex-husband was jailed on Thursday for 20 years over her drugging and mass rape by strangers recruited online, in a case that shocked France and resonated around the world.

The dozens of other defendants were handed terms of up to 15 years, which women’s rights groups and the three Pelicot children, according to a source, condemned as too lenient.

But in her first comment after the judgement, 72-year-old Gisele Pelicot, who has become a feminist hero over her insistence the trial be public, said: “I respect the court and the decision of its verdict.”

The convictions of all 51 defendants and their sentencing brought to a close a three-month trial that turned Gisele Pelicot, who was drugged and unconscious while she was raped, into an symbol of female courage in the face of male sexual violence.

The trial garnered immense interest in the wake of her decision to allow the trial to be open to the public from the outset and waive her right to anonymity.

Her former husband Dominique Pelicot, who had already confessed to the crimes, was earlier found guilty by the court in the southern city of Avignon.

Presiding judge Roger Arata said Dominique Pelicot, 72, will not be eligible for parole until he has served two thirds of his sentence.

His 50 co-defendants were also convicted by the court, with no acquittals.

They received jail terms of between three and 15 years but this was in all cases less than what prosecutors had demanded and, in some cases, even half. Two of the defendants had their jail terms suspended.

- ‘Incomprehension and disappointment’ -

Under the terms of the sentencing, six accused were allowed to walk free from the court. Only the sentence given to Dominique Pelicot was fully in line with what prosecutors demand.

The three Pelicot children “are disappointed by these low sentences,” said a family member, asking not to be identified, adding that there was “no question” of any of the children wanting to speak to their father after the conviction.

“The court has proved Gisele Pelicot right: shame can change sides,” said women’s rights group the Fondation des Femmes (Women’s Foundation), while adding it “shared the incomprehension and disappointment at some of the sentences handed down, despite the witnesses and the evidence.”

Dominique Pelicot had filmed and then meticulously filed away videos of the rapes, unwittingly helping police to track down the men who he invited to rape his wife. The video evidence was shown during the trial.

Tension was palpable in the courtroom at the start of the hearing, where a heavy police presence was deployed.

Many defendants arrived with their bags packed ready for prison. One of them was in tears as he hugged his companion before entering the courtroom.

- ‘Never regretted’ -

Dominique Pelicot has admitted to drugging Gisele Pelicot for almost a decade so he and strangers he recruited online could rape her.

His lawyer did not rule out lodging an appeal of the verdict.

“We’re going to use the 10 days which we have to decide whether or not to appeal this decision,” Beatrice Zavarro told reporters.

Gisele Pelicot has become a feminist hero at home and abroad for refusing to be ashamed, waiving her right to a closed trial and standing up to her aggressors in court.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday saluted her bravery, saying she “courageously went from anonymity into the public eye and fought for justice… thank you Gisele Pelicot!”

In her comments, Gisele Pelicot said she “never regretted” opening the trial to the public and was now thinking of the “unrecognised victims whose stories often remain in the shadows”.

She added she believed in a future where “everyone, woman and man, can live in harmony”.

The prosecution had requested 10 to 18 years in prison against the 49 defendants also charged with aggravated rape. One of these accused is on the run and being tried in absentia.

The highest sentence other that that for Dominique Pelicot was handed to Romain V. 63, a pensioner who visited the Pelicot family home six times and was jailed for 15 years. Prosecutors had demanded 18.

Hassan O., 30, the sole defendant tried in absentia and the target of an arrest warrant, was sentenced to 12 years in prison whereas prosecutors had demanded 15.

The lowest sentence – three years with two suspended – was given to Joseph C., 69, the only accused to be charged with “groping” Gisele Pelicot and not rape.