A French court has sentenced former bank manager Guillaume Bucci to 25 years in prison after he was accused of raping, torturing and forcing his former partner into prostitution over seven years.
The case has drawn widespread attention in France and comes amid continuing public discussions around violence against women following the Gisèle Pelicot trial.
According to reports of Hindustan Times, Bucci used the pretext of sadomasochistic acts to manipulate his partner, identified as Laëtitia R, into abuse between 2015 and 2022. Prosecutors said he recruited strangers online and forced her into sexual acts against her will.
Woman describes 'psychological control'
During the trial, Laëtitia R told the court that the abuse began after Bucci introduced the idea of sadomasochism. She said she initially thought it meant “spanking, being tied up” and similar BDSM practices, but later realised “it was pure and simple violence.”
The woman said she lived in “constant fear” that intimate recordings would be released if she tried to leave him. Court proceedings included hundreds of text and voice messages that allegedly showed threats made against her.
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“Little by little, I felt like I was dying inside. With each practice imposed, there was a part of me that broke permanently,” she told the court as per Hindustan Times' report.
Laëtitia also said Bucci forced her into prostitution and kept records of the men involved. “I stopped counting at 487 men, some of whom I had seen up to 10 times,” she said during the trial.
Court hands 25-year sentence
According to the report of Hindustan Times Bucci argued that the acts were consensual and claimed he “did not think he was hurting her.”
However, the court sentenced him to 25 years in prison and ruled that he must serve at least two-thirds of the term before becoming eligible for parole. Prosecutors had reportedly sought a life sentence, citing concerns over the “risk of reoffending against another woman”.
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Reports of Hindustan Times also stated that Bucci lost parental rights and was barred from contacting Laëtitia R or her children.
