News Americas, New York, NY, December 19, 2024: A Caribbean-born man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison in connection with the shocking case in France, where a woman was drugged and sexually assaulted by dozens of men over nearly a decade.

Gisele Pelicot leaves the courthouse next to her lawyer Stephane Babonneau (L) after a verdict in the Pelicot case on December 19, 2024 in Avignon, France. Gisele Pelicot’s ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, and 50 other men were convicted today on charges of raping her over a multiyear period, in encounters arranged by Mr. Pelicot while she was drugged and unconscious. (Photo by Julien Goldstein/Getty Images)

Joan Kwai, 26, originally from French Guiana, was among 51 men found guilty in the case involving the abuse of 71-year-old Gisele Pelicot. The assaults occurred after her now-convicted husband, Dominique Pelicot, drugged her and allowed others to attack her without her knowledge. Kwai was found guilty of aggravated rape during the trial in Avignon and sentenced to 10 years.

The case has drawn international attention due to its disturbing nature. According to prosecutors, Dominique Pelicot, a retired electrician, orchestrated the abuse from 2011 to 2020. Kwai, who had moved to France as a teenager, admitted to visiting the Pelicot home twice and acknowledged knowing Mrs. Pelicot was unconscious during the assaults. He was the youngest rapist and was 23 at the time of the assaults.

Mrs. Pelicot, who waived her anonymity, has become a symbol of resilience and courage for survivors of sexual violence. Throughout the proceedings, she has received applause and support from the public.

The trial, involved 51 defendants, and was divided into smaller groups for efficiency. Fourteen of the accused had confessed to their involvement, while others denied the charges, claiming they were misled by Dominique Pelicot. They were all found guilty today.

Dominique Pelicot was arrested in 2020 after being caught filming women without their consent in a supermarket. Authorities discovered thousands of incriminating photos and videos at his home, linking him to numerous crimes. He has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the drugging and abuse of his wife and for his role in other heinous acts, including the rape and murder of a woman in Paris in 1991.

Gisèle Pelicot spoke of her “very difficult ordeal” after the 51 men were all found guilty Thursday in the drugging-and-rape trial that turned her into a feminist hero, expressing support for other victims of sexual violence whose cases don’t get such attention and “whose stories remain untold.”

“I want you to know that we share the same fight,” she said in her first words after the court in the southern French city of Avignon handed down prison sentences ranging from three to 20 years in the shocking case that stunned France and spurred a national reckoning about the blight of rape culture.

“Your messages moved me deeply, and they gave me the strength to come back, every day, and survive through these long daily hearings,” she said. “This trial was a very difficult ordeal.”

“It’s also for them that I led this fight,” she said of her grandchildren. “I wanted all of society to be a witness to the debates that took place here. I never regretted making this decision. I have trust in our capacity to collectively project ourselves toward a future where all, women and men, can live in harmony, with respect and mutual understanding. Thank you.”