Husamettin Dogan, the only man still appealing his conviction in France’s shocking “sleep rape” case, will return to court this week in a bid to clear his name and shed the label of rapist.
Dogan, 44, was sentenced to nine years in prison last year for raping Gisele Pelicot after her husband, Dominique Pelicot, allegedly invited him online to abuse her. Dogan insists he was deceived into believing she had consented to the act.
The case, which stunned the world, saw 51 men convicted for sexually abusing Gisele Pelicot at her husband’s invitation over nearly a decade. Of the 17 who initially filed appeals, Dogan remains the only one still contesting his conviction.
Dominique Pelicot, who received a 20-year prison sentence for drugging his wife and arranging her repeated assaults, did not appeal. Dogan, however, maintains he is innocent, saying he was manipulated by Dominique.
“He maintains that he never went to the couple’s home with the intention of raping anyone,” his lawyer, Jean-Marc Darrigade, told AFP. “He is deeply affected by the fact that he could be labelled as a rapist.”
Dogan, a construction worker of Turkish origin and father to a child with Down syndrome, argues that Dominique Pelicot “trapped him” into participating in the act under false pretenses.
During the first trial, Dogan said he received messages from Dominique claiming he and his wife were an “adventurous couple,” and even a message allegedly from Gisele giving her consent. When he arrived at the couple’s home in Mazan in June 2019, he claimed he thought the encounter was consensual until he realized she was unresponsive.
“I started foreplay, but I saw she didn’t react. I said, ‘She’s dead, your wife.’ He said, ‘No, you’re imagining it,’” Dogan recounted. “He penetrated her, and she lifted her head a little.”
He later admitted that the encounter fit the legal definition of rape, though he continued to deny criminal intent. His appeal hearing, taking place in Nîmes from Monday to Thursday, will focus on both his conviction and the length of his sentence.
Darrigade said the retrial offers a chance to reconsider the psychological manipulation at play. “They found that Mrs Pelicot was being controlled by her husband. Can’t we also conceive something similar for Dogan, who faced this exceptionally perverse man who mastered all tricks of persuasion?” he asked.
Dogan’s appeal temporarily suspends his prison sentence, allowing him to remain free pending the court’s decision.
What you should know
The “sleep rape” case involving Gisele Pelicot is one of France’s most disturbing criminal trials in recent years. Her husband, Dominique Pelicot, was found guilty of orchestrating years of sexual abuse against her while she was drugged.
Husamettin Dogan’s ongoing appeal represents the final chapter in a case that exposed deep legal and moral questions about consent, manipulation, and complicity.
