CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses sexual assault.
Husamettin Dogan thought appealing his rape conviction might clear his name. Instead, the move has left him with a longer prison term — and a fresh public reckoning with the crimes committed against Gisèle Pelicot.
The 44‑year‑old, an unemployed builder from southern France, was the only one of 51 men found guilty in last year’s landmark trial to challenge the verdict. But this week at the Nîmes Court of Appeal, a jury of five men and four women upheld the conviction and increased his sentence from nine to ten years. As reported by The Guardian, Dogan must also undergo “mandatory treatment for five years” after he leaves prison.
The court heard that in the early hours of 29 June 2019, Dogan drove to Pelicot’s home in Mazan after connecting online with her then‑husband, Dominique Pelicot.
Dominique — later jailed for 20 years — had spent nearly a decade drugging his wife into a comatose state and inviting strangers to rape her without her knowledge.
Police say Dogan assaulted Pelicot for more than three hours, with video evidence showing her unconscious, snoring, and at risk of suffocation. Investigators recovered 107 photos and 14 videos from the night.
Dogan maintained that he believed the encounter was consensual because Dominique had invited him into the bedroom. He told the court it was “a sexual act” rather than rape. Prosecutor Dominique Sie rejected this claim, calling his stance “archaic” and evidence of a wider rape culture that failed to recognise consent as personal and non‑transferable.
“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 told Dogan.
Sie had sought a 12‑year term, arguing Dogan “absolutely refuses to take any responsibility”.
Gisèle Pelicot, now 72, returned to court to confront him directly. “You haven’t understood. When are you going to recognise you raped me? It’s a crime to rape an unconscious woman. When did I ever give you consent? Never,” she said.
Witness testimony — including from Dominique Pelicot and police investigator Jérémie Bosse‑Platière — underlined that Dogan was fully aware she was incapacitated. “Anyone who sees the videos understands this immediately,” Bosse‑Platière told the court.
Pelicot’s case has become a symbol of change in France’s approach to sexual violence. In waiving her anonymity during the original trial and declaring “shame must change sides”, she sparked national debate and calls for reform. In July, she was awarded the Legion of Honour, France’s highest civilian distinction. Lawmakers are now pushing to amend the country’s penal code to explicitly enshrine consent in the legal definition of rape, with a final bill expected in coming months.
Lead image: Getty images
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