Gisele Pelicot told her lawyers she had "no fear" if a new trial were to go ahead. (ZZIIGG via Reuters)
In short:
Gisèle Pelicot's ex-husband will not appeal his 20-year jail sentence.
Earlier this month Dominique Pelicot was convicted of drugging and raping his then wife, and soliciting 50 other men to do the same.
What's next?
Monday was the final day for defendants to file appeals, and 17 of Pelicot's co-defendants have already done so.
WARNING: This story contains details of sexual abuse
The Frenchman convicted of drugging and raping his then wife and soliciting dozens of men to do the same for more than a decade will not appeal his verdict, his lawyer has said.
Dominique Pelicot was convicted and jailed for 20 years earlier this month after a trial that horrified France and beyond, while 50 co-defendants were also convicted and handed various sentences of between three and 15 years.
Dominique Pelicot is one of France's worst sexual predators. He might also be a killer
Photo shows A man with short grey and white hair looks neutrally at the camera
Gisèle Pelicot was hailed as a feminist hero for her courage and dignity throughout the three-month trial that shocked the world.
"Dominique Pelicot has taken the decision to not appeal the verdict," Mr Pelicot's lawyer Beatrice Zavarro told AFP.
An appeal "would force Gisele (Pelicot) to undergo a new ordeal, new confrontations, which Dominique Pelicot refuses" to do, she said.
"It is time to finish judicially," she added.
Monday is the last day for the defendants to file appeals, and 17 of Pelicot's co-defendants have already done so, according to Ms Zavarro.
Ms Pelicot had 'no fear' of new trial
Following the guilty verdicts at the end of December, one of Ms Pelicot's lawyers said she had no fear of a new trial.
"If it were to happen, she has already indicated to us that she would face it — if she is healthy, obviously, since she is a lady who is now 72," Stephane Babonneau told France Inter radio.
"In any case, she has no fear of it, that is what she told us."
Sexual assault support services:
- 1800 Respect national helpline: 1800 737 732
- Sexual Assault Counselling Australia: 1800 211 028
- Bravehearts (support for child sexual abuse survivors): 1800 272 831
- Lifeline (24-hour Crisis Line): 131 114
- Victims of Crime Helpline: 1800 819 817
Ms Pelicot waived her right to anonymity during the trial and demanded that horrifying videos of the serial abuse, which were recorded by her former husband, should be seen in court.
In doing so, she became a symbol of the fight against sexual violence, prompting thousands of people across France to hold rallies supporting her and messages of solidarity to flow in from around the world.
Ms Pelicot said she "never regretted" her decision to make the trial public and that she wanted to turn the tables on the shame associated with rape from victims to perpetrators.
"I've decided not to be ashamed, I've done nothing wrong," she testified in October.
"They are the ones who must be ashamed," she said.
She says she hopes the enormous interest in her case will help other women who have suffered sexual abuse, and brushes off praise for her own bravery in letting the world see her pain.
"It's not courage. It's determination to change things," she told the court in October.
"This is not just my battle, but that of all rape victims."
AFP/Reuters