Germany jails Chinese student in Pelicot-like rape case

A German court on Tuesday sentenced a 28-year-old Chinese student to 11 years and three months in jail for repeatedly drugging and raping his girlfriend and filming the abuse.In a case reminiscent of that of France’s Gisele Pelicot, the Munich court said the defendant, named only as Zhongyi J., had assaulted his girlfriend while she was unconscious at least seven times.Zhongyi J. filmed the abuse each time and stored the videos on a hard drive, the court said. In one case, the assault lasted more than three hours.“The aim in each case was to sedate the victim so heavily that she showed no defensive reactions even when in severe pain,” the court statement said.Zhongyi J. was found guilty of six counts of aggravated rape and two counts of attempted murder.British newspaper front pages in London in December 2024 feature headlines on the Gisele Pelicot rape trial. Photo: APBefore announcing the verdict, judge Markus Koppenleitner said the crimes had shown “contempt for humanity and women on a truly monstrous scale”.