Sweden is dealing with an alleged sexual crime of monstrous proportions (symbolic image).Image: www.imago-images.de
A man has to stand trial in northern Sweden. He is said to have sexually exploited his wife for years. The case brings back memories.
Feb 16, 2026, 8:17 p.mFeb 16, 2026, 8:17 p.m
Anyone who thought that the Gisèle Pelicot case was uniquely cruel may be proven wrong these days.
In Sweden, a man over 60 years old has been in prison since October 2025. The public prosecutor in charge accuses him of drugging his wife over a long period of time. He then sold her to at least 120 men so that they could have sex with her. This is reported by the AP news agency.
Strict Swedish sexual criminal law
The man denies all allegations. If convicted, he could face two to 10 years in prison.
Swedish criminal law criminalizes the purchase of sex in the same way as pimping. But sex work itself is not forbidden.
The public prosecutor expects the trial to begin in mid-March.
The Gisèle Pelicot case has attracted international attention in recent years. The now 73-year-old French woman was drugged for years by her husband Dominique without her knowledge. He and other men then raped her for hours.
He documented his actions meticulously with the video camera. Dominique Pelicot was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Gisèle Pelicot is considered a feminist icon because she publicly denied the entire process – out of the conviction that she, as the person who was raped, should not be ashamed. But their rapists.
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