AVIGNON, France, Dec 19 — A French court found Dominique Pelicot guilty today of repeatedly drugging and raping his wife for almost a decade, and inviting dozens of strangers to rape her unconscious body in their home.

A panel of judges also convicted a first batch of 20 out of 50 co-defendants in the case, dismissing claims by some of them that they thought they were taking part in a consensual sex game or that Pelicot’s consent meant the Frenchman’s wife, Gisele Pelicot, also agreed.

The presiding judge told the court that sentencing would be announced after all the verdicts had been delivered.

Prosecutors have demanded a term of 20-year prison term for Pelicot, in a case that has appalled the world and turned his wife into a symbol of courage and resilience.

Prosecutors are also seeking terms of between four and 18 years for the other defendants, almost all of whom are accused of raping the comatose Gisele Pelicot.

A cheer went up outside the court in the southern French city of Avignon among the victim’s supporters when news of the first guilty verdicts filtered out.

Dominique Pelicot, 72, pleaded guilty to the charges during the three-month trial and apologised to his family. He also said that all the strangers he invited into his house knew that his now ex-wife was unaware of what was happening to her.

Gisele, who is also 72, 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, saying she hoped this would help other women speak up.

The trial has triggered protest rallies around France in support of Gisele, and spurred soul searching, including a debate on whether to update France’s rape law, which at present makes no mention that sex should involve consent.

Gisele stared down her abusers with steely determination in the packed courtroom day after day, scoffing at any claim that she might have been a willing participant.

"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.

The Pelicots’ children, David, Caroline and Florian, arrived in court to hear the verdict alongside their mother. The siblings have spoken out forcibly against their father. — Reuters