A French court has found Dominique Pelicot guilty of repeatedly drugging and raping his wife for almost a decade, and inviting dozens of strangers to rape her unconscious body in their home.
All of the Frenchman's 50 co-defendants were also found guilty of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault, while their victim, Gisèle Pelicot, sat in the packed courtroom to hear the sentencing, having waived her right to anonymity.
Gisèle, 72, has become a stirring symbol of female courage and resilience during the three-month trial and crowds of supporters outside the courthouse in the southern city of Avignon cheered as news of the guilty verdicts filtered out.
Dominique Pelicot, who was married to Gisèle for 50 years, had pleaded guilty to the charges and a panel of five judges sentenced him to the maximum 20 years in jail, as requested by prosecutors.
The court found 46 of the other defendants guilty of rape, two guilty of attempted rape and two guilty of sexual assault, handing down sentences of between three and 15 years in jail, less than the four-to-18 years demanded by the prosecution.
All the defendants have ten days to decide whether to appeal, and Dominique Pelicot's lawyer said her client was considering this.
"Shame on the justice system," some of the waiting crowd chanted when they found out about the lighter-than-requested prison terms.
Many of the accused had denied the charges, saying they thought it was a consensual sex game orchestrated by the couple and arguing that it was not rape if the husband approved.
A cheer went up outside the court in the southern French city of Avignon among the victim's supporters when news of the first guilty verdicts filtered out.
Dominique Pelicot, 72, pleaded guilty to the charges during the three-month trial and apologised to his family.
He also said that all the strangers he invited into his house knew that his now ex-wife was unaware of what was happening to her.
Ms Pelicot, 72, waived her right to anonymity during the trial and demanded that horrifying videos of the serial abuse, which were recorded by her former husband, should be seen in court, saying she hoped this would help other women speak up.
Speaking outside the court, Ms Pelicot has said that the trial was a very difficult ordeal.
She thanked everyone who has supported her throughout the period adding that she "never regretted" the decision to make the trial public
She said that she respects the court and the decision it has come to.
Ms Pelicot said she was thinking about all of the unrecognised victims whose stories often remain in the shadows.
She added that she thought of her grandchildren during the trial, adding "it's also for them that I led this fight".
The trial has triggered protest rallies around France in support of Ms Pelicot, and spurred soul searching, including a debate on whether to update France's rape law, which at present makes no mention that sex should involve consent.
"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".
Ms Pelicot stared down her abusers with steely determination in the packed courtroom day after day, scoffing at any claim that she might have been a willing participant.
"I've decided not to be ashamed, I've done nothing wrong," she testified in October. "They are the ones who must be ashamed," she said.
The Pelicots' children, David, Caroline and Florian, arrived in court to hear the verdict alongside their mother.
The siblings have spoken out forcibly against their father.
The children believe the verdicts were too mild, a family member told AFP.
"The children are disappointed by these low sentences," said the family member, asking not be identified.
The defendants come from all walks of life - lorry drivers, soldiers, firefighters, security guards, farm workers, a supermarket worker, a journalist and the unemployed.
Dominique Pelicot had worked as an electrician and estate agent.
The youngest suspect was just 22 when he entered Gisele Pelicot's bedroom, while the oldest was in his early 70s.
Many had children and were in relationships.
Most lived within a 50km radius of the Pelicots' picturesque village of Mazan, which nestles in vineyards below Mont Ventoux.
The case only came to light in 2020, when Dominique was caught trying to take photographs up the skirts of women in a supermarket.
Police then discovered more than 20,000 photos and videos on his computer drives revealing the horrifying secrets that he had hidden from his now ex-wife for a decade.
Police believe 72 men had gone to the house to rape and abuse Gisèle, but they were not able to identify them all.
Pelicot acknowledged that he had put powerful tranquilizers into his wife's food and coffee that put her to sleep for hours.
Gisèle said she was worried she was developing Alzheimer's or had a brain tumour because of the memory gaps.
She says she hopes the enormous interest in her case will help other women who have suffered sexual abuse, and brushes off praise for her own bravery in letting the world see her pain.
"It's not courage. It's determination to change things," she told the court in October. "This is not just my battle, but that of all rape victims."
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