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Judges are set to deliver their verdicts in a mass rape trial against 51 men involving Giséle Pelicot in a historic case that has profoundly shaken the country over the past several months.
Dominique Pelicot, the now ex-husband of the 72-year-old grandmother, is among those in the dock, who admitted that for years, he drugged his wife so he and strangers could abuse her while he filmed it.
Pelicot, also 72, and the 49 other men were tried in the southern French city of Avignon for aggravated rape and attempted rape and face up to 20 years imprisonment if convicted.
Prosecutors asked that he get the maximum penalty and for sentences of 10-18 years for the others. They also requested a four-year prison term for another defendant who was tried for aggravated sexual assault.
Stretching over more than three months, the trial galvanised campaigners against sexual violence and spurred calls for tougher measures to stamp out rape culture.
The proceedings will begin at 9.30 a.m. (0830 GMT) at the Avignon courthouse.
