Prosecutors seek up to 14-year terms for French rape trial defendants

French prosecutors on Tuesday demanded sentences of up to 14 years for some of the remaining co-defendants of a man charged with enlisting dozens of strangers to rape his wife while she was drugged and unconscious.

On Monday, prosecutors requested a maximum 20-year jail term for Dominique Pelicot, who has been on trial in the southern city of Avignon since September with 49 other men for organising the rapes and sexual abuse of Gisele Pelicot, now his former wife.

One man is being tried in absentia.

The case has sparked horror, protests and a debate about male violence in France, with tens of thousands of protesters staging demonstrations across the country on Saturday against violence targeting women.

The decade-long abuse of Gisele Pelicot by Dominque Pelicot was only uncovered when he was arrested for a separate upskirting offence, leading investigators to discover his meticulously-kept records of the visitors to the family home in the town Mazan.

Until Wednesday, or latest Thursday morning, prosecutors are outlining their sentencing demands for all the defendants, most of whom come from ordinary professions ranging from the fire brigade to the media.

On Tuesday, public prosecutor Laure Chabaud asked for a 14-year sentence for Karim S., 38, who was one of the few defendants whose messaging with Dominique Pelicot was discovered by investigators.

For Florian R., 32, who did not admit "intent" and Gregory S., 31, who was "aware of Gisele Pelicot's altered state," Chabaud demanded thirteen years in prison.

Some defence lawyers have described the sentencing demands as "staggering" and "out of proportion", alleging the public prosecutor's office was under pressure from "public opinion".

"I fear what will happen next," said Louis-Alain Lemaire, a lawyer for four defendants.

But public prosecutors say the trial should herald a fundamental change in society.

"In 2024, we can no longer say 'she didn't say anything, she agreed,' that's from another era," Chabaud said on Monday.

Prosecutors asked for a 12-year sentence for nine of the remaining defendants, including Boris M., 37, who claimed during the hearings that he, too, was a victim.

"He says he was a victim of Dominique Pelicot, like Gisele Pelicot," prosecutor Jean-Francois Mayet said.

But "at no time did he seek or obtain Gisele Pelicot's consent", he said, adding, "in reality, he was pleased with the situation presented to him" by the main defendant.

Prosecutors sought a 12-year sentence for Mahdi D., 36, who also claimed to be a victim of Dominique Pelicot's actions.