Dominique Pelicot has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after admitting to drugging his wife, Gisèle Pelicot, and subjecting her to nearly a decade of sexual abuse, during which he also invited at least 50 men to participate in the assaults.

The trial ended Thursday in a packed courtroom in Avignon, southern France.

Despite the devastating betrayal by her husband of 50 years, Ms Pelicot displayed remarkable courage by waiving her anonymity to make the trial public, having divorced him.

Her story has gripped France, with her image featured prominently in media and protests demanding justice. 

The New York Times reports that the courtroom erupted in applause as the head judge, Roger Arata, announced the unanimous guilty verdicts for all 51 accused.  

Of the defendants, 50 were convicted of rape, and one had his charge reduced to sexual assault after apologising to Ms Pelicot. 

The verdict delivered the maximum sentence for Dominique Pelicot and varying penalties for the others. 

The New York Times reports that outside the courthouse, demonstrators held signs with messages such as ‘Stop violence against women’ and ‘Justice for Gisèle Pelicot’.  

The harrowing abuse came to light in late 2020 when police arrested Mr Pelicot in the small town of Mazan. Investigators discovered thousands of videos and photos he had taken, documenting the assaults on his wife, which started in 2011.

The footage, which included other men he had invited through internet forums, became critical evidence in the trial.  

Mr Pelicot admitted to crushing sleeping pills into his wife’s meals and drinks, rendering her unconscious before orchestrating the assaults. 

Ms Pelicot was unaware of the crimes until police informed her after her husband’s arrest.