PARIS - Dominique Pelicot, sentenced to 20 years in jail by a French court for repeatedly drugging and raping his then-wife Gisele for almost a decade and inviting dozens of strangers to rape her, will not appeal, his lawyer said on Monday, although a new trial will take place as 17 co-defendants have appealed.

Gisele Pelicot, 72, has become a symbol of female courage and resilience during the three-month trial of her now ex-husband and his 50 co-defendants, in a case that has horrified the world. All were found guilty by the court on Dec 19.

"He decided not to appeal, because he says it would be a new ordeal and new confrontations for his wife, who he always said in the debates was not his adversary," Dominique Pelicot's lawyer Beatrice Zavarro said on FranceInfo Radio.

Dominique Pelicot, who was married to Gisele for 50 years, had pleaded guilty and the panel of five judges gave him the maximum sentence, as requested by prosecutors.

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