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French Banker Sentenced to 25 Years for Torture and Forced Sex

The conviction rested on hundreds of messages and medical findings and it sharpens legal debate over claims that violent abuse was consensual sadomasochism.

Overview

  • A court in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence convicted former banker Guillaume Bucci of torturing and sexually abusing his partner and sentenced him to 25 years in prison.
  • The survivor, Laetitia R., testified that she was coerced into sexual encounters with hundreds of men and said she “stopped counting at 487.”
  • Prosecutors presented hundreds of text and voice messages in court that they say show threats, including threats to kill her if she did not obey, and medical reports documenting injury.
  • Bucci admitted to violent acts during the trial but said the encounters were consensual sadomasochistic practices, while prosecutors had argued for a life term because of the severity and risk of reoffending.
  • The plaintiff waived anonymity after the high-profile Pelicot case and now lives with lasting physical and psychological damage, a development that has intensified public and legal scrutiny of consent defenses.