Questions wey dem neva fit answer from di Pelicot trial

For Thursday, Gisèle Pelicot, di French rape survivor, waka comot from southern France court for di final time afta say dem sentenced her ex-husband to 20 years for prison bicos say him drug am com still rape am.

Ova some years now, him invite plenty strangers to abuse her.

Dominique Pelicot, 72, dem found am guilty of all charges by judge for Avignon.

Alongside am, 50 oda men face trial, every one of dem wey dem convict of at least one charge, though dia sentences dey shorter than wetin prosecutors seek.

Despite di trial concluding, several questions still dey regarding di Pelicot case and its afta-math.

• Wetin Gisèle Pelicot go do now? Wen Gisèle Pelicot first ascend di steps of di Avignon courthouse for September, her name dey unknown.
• Ova di following 15 weeks, she bicom recognized as courageous rape survivor wey refuse to dey ashamed of her experience. By di time she comot di tribunal on Thursday, crowds of hundreds dey chant her name, and her image dey adorn front pages of newspapers worldwide.

Gisèle don transform to one of di most recognized women for France.

Despite changing her name, as she return to di anonymity fit prove impossible as she dey attempt to rebuild her life following di exposure of her husband’s crimes.

She no be di first pesin wey profound suffering don turn into symbol.

For some important personal cost, she don bicom emblem of struggle she neva seek.

E seem unlikely say she go embrace role as outspoken activist against gender violence or prominent feminist figure.

Instead, she fit return to wetin she don describe as her sources of solace: music, long walks, chocolate, and her seven grandchildren.

“For di start of di trial, she com talk say, “If I last two weeks, dat one go be plenty oo.” But for di end, she com persevere for three and half months, na her lawyer, Stéphane Babonneau, talk am. “and now, she don get peace and relieved say everything don end.”

• Wetin com really happen to Caroline? Shortly afta Dominique Pelicot’s crimes bin dey revealed, di police com invite him daughter Caroline Darian com station and dem show am photos of apparently woman wey dey unconscious for unfamiliar lingerie.
• Upon realizing say she dey look at di images of herself, she com dey describe her life like some wey don “stopped.” Dominique don consistently deny any physical contact wither, but Caroline, wey him anger dey seriously boil during many court sessions, don talk say she no go eva believe am, com accuse am say she dey look am “wit incestuous eyes.”

Di absence of concrete evidence wey dey support Caroline’s belief say di abused don make her to com claim di title of “di forgotten victim” of di trial.

Dis sentiment don strain her relationship wit her mother.

For her memoir published afta her father’s arrest Caroline accuse Gisèle say him no dey provide enough support, which means say Gisèle don side wit her rapist ex-husband ova her daughter.

Despite Gisèle and her children sitting togeda for court, whispering and huddled close, signs of di trial’s toll for dia relationship don emerge.

Caroline’s brother, David, com dey express frustration, talk say di trial no be solely about Gisèle but encompass dia entire “annihilated family.” “We children feel forgotten,” he talk.

“While our lawyers do remarkable job defending our mother, we dey somewhat overlooked.” Caroline lament for her memoir about Gisèle’s “denial as coping mechanism.”

“Bicos of my father,” she write, “I dey now lose my mother.”

• How Many Defendants Go Appeal? Apart from Dominique, all di oda defendants receive sentences shorter than wetin prosecutors’ request.
• Several defense attorneys appear satisfied wit di outcomes, suggest say dem no go encourage dia clients to appeal.
• One defendant, Jean-Pierre Maréchal, com receive 12-year sentence five years less than prosecutors seek.
• Him lawyer, Patrick Gontard, talk say e dey “out of di question” for am to appeal.

Di time di defendants spend for pre-trial detention go count towards dia total sentences, meaning say some fit dey released soon if dem don serve dia minimum terms.

For instance, defendant facing 17-year sentence end up wit eight-year term, and him lawyer, Roland Marmillot, indicate say him go likely dey released relatively soon due to time already served.

However, by di morning afta di trial conclude, two men sentenced to eight years don already file appeals, wit more expected to follow within di ten-day appeal window.

• Wetin Else Dominique Pelicot Fit Be Guilty Of? Dominique Pelicot don confess to assaulting and attempting to rape 23-year-old estate agent, referred to as Marion, for di suburbs of Paris for 1999.
• Him place cloth soaked in ether ova her mouth, but she fight am off, cause am to flee.
• E no be until 2021, afta him arrest for crimes against Gisèle, dat Pelicot’s DNA match wit blood sample found on Marion’s shoe, lead to him admission of guilt.

Him don, however, deny involvement for anoda cold case di 1991 rape and murder of young estate agent, Sophie Narme, for which no DNA evidence exist.

Investigators don note say di two cases share too many similarities to be mere coincidence.

Oda cold cases wit similar methods dey also re-examined.

• Di trial go be turning point? “dere go be ‘before’ and ‘afta’ di Pelicot trial,” Parisian man talk during di trial’s early days.
• Dis sentiment don only intensify ova di past few months, as di extensive media coverage of di trial spark discussions about rape, consent, and gender violence.

Nicolas and Mehdi, two residents of Mazan, express dia views, talk say, “Wetin we need na much harsher sentences.”

Dem voice dia disgust upon discovering say one defendant na man dem don play football with.

“Wit longer sentences, at least dem go think twice before doing stuff like dis,” dem assert, add say e dey “crazy unfair” say some men fit dey released from jail for di coming months.

However, e dey crucial to recognize say di risk of receiving 20-year prison sentence for aggravated rape no deter Dominique Pelicot from offering his unconscious wife to be raped by strangers he meet online.

Calls for reforms for French legislation on rape to include explicit consent don stall for di past and go require significant effort for di currently divided parliament.

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