Stopped counting at 487 men: French banker jailed for rape, torture of ex-lover
A French court sentenced bank manager Guillaume Bucci to 25 years for raping and torturing his former partner over seven years. The survivor said the abuse left her disabled and revealed a pattern of coercion, threats and forced prostitution.
A French bank manager has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for the torture and rape of his girlfriend over a seven-year period, a campaign of abuse that included forcing her to have sex with strangers he recruited online.
The survivor, Laetitia R, a 42-year-old mother of four, accused 51-year-old Guillaume Bucci of using the guise of sadomasochistic sex games to manipulate her into compliance. On Christmas Eve in 2015, Bucci ordered her to go to a highway service station and "offer herself to strangers" while he listened over the phone.
Bucci then forced her into prostitution, selling sex to "friends, colleagues, and strangers" and requiring her to maintain a list of the clients. Laetitia testified that she "stopped counting at 487 men.”
Rejecting Bucci’s request for a closed-door trial, Laetitia said she chose a public hearing after being inspired by Gisele Pelicot, the 72-year-old French woman who became a feminist icon after demanding a public trial that culminated with her husband and dozens of other men being convicted for drugging and raping her.
However, unlike Pelicot’s husband, Bucci purposefully kept Laetitia conscious during the abuse.
‘FELT LIKE I WAS DYING INSIDE’
During the trial, Laetitia -- who now lives with disabilities resulting from the abuse -- described the "psychological control" her former partner exerted. She testified that she lived in “constant fear” from 2015 to 2022 due to abuse she characterised as “pure and simple violence.”
She testified that Bucci treated her like a “slave,” forcing her into increasingly degrading acts, such as drinking his urine and licking public toilets. In 2017, just one day after being discharged from the hospital after giving birth to their daughter, she was forced to perform a sex act on a truck driver.
"I felt like I was dying inside," she told the court through tears. “With each practice imposed, there was a part of me that broke permanently.”
Bucci admitted to several acts, including strangulation, burning and bestiality, but maintained they were "consensual sexual games in the context of their intimate relationship".
Bucci argued his former partner consented, telling the court that he "did not think he was hurting her". However, prosecutors presented text and voice messages showing Bucci threatening to kill her if she disobeyed, proving she acted under duress.
He also admitted to pressuring her into prostitution.
Prosecutors had sought a life sentence, citing a severe "risk of reoffending against another woman".
The court sentenced Bucci to 25 years in prison, ruling he must serve at least two-thirds of the term before becoming eligible for parole.
A French bank manager has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for the torture and rape of his girlfriend over a seven-year period, a campaign of abuse that included forcing her to have sex with strangers he recruited online.
The survivor, Laetitia R, a 42-year-old mother of four, accused 51-year-old Guillaume Bucci of using the guise of sadomasochistic sex games to manipulate her into compliance. On Christmas Eve in 2015, Bucci ordered her to go to a highway service station and "offer herself to strangers" while he listened over the phone.
Bucci then forced her into prostitution, selling sex to "friends, colleagues, and strangers" and requiring her to maintain a list of the clients. Laetitia testified that she "stopped counting at 487 men.”
Rejecting Bucci’s request for a closed-door trial, Laetitia said she chose a public hearing after being inspired by Gisele Pelicot, the 72-year-old French woman who became a feminist icon after demanding a public trial that culminated with her husband and dozens of other men being convicted for drugging and raping her.
However, unlike Pelicot’s husband, Bucci purposefully kept Laetitia conscious during the abuse.
‘FELT LIKE I WAS DYING INSIDE’
During the trial, Laetitia -- who now lives with disabilities resulting from the abuse -- described the "psychological control" her former partner exerted. She testified that she lived in “constant fear” from 2015 to 2022 due to abuse she characterised as “pure and simple violence.”
She testified that Bucci treated her like a “slave,” forcing her into increasingly degrading acts, such as drinking his urine and licking public toilets. In 2017, just one day after being discharged from the hospital after giving birth to their daughter, she was forced to perform a sex act on a truck driver.
"I felt like I was dying inside," she told the court through tears. “With each practice imposed, there was a part of me that broke permanently.”
Bucci admitted to several acts, including strangulation, burning and bestiality, but maintained they were "consensual sexual games in the context of their intimate relationship".
Bucci argued his former partner consented, telling the court that he "did not think he was hurting her". However, prosecutors presented text and voice messages showing Bucci threatening to kill her if she disobeyed, proving she acted under duress.
He also admitted to pressuring her into prostitution.
Prosecutors had sought a life sentence, citing a severe "risk of reoffending against another woman".
The court sentenced Bucci to 25 years in prison, ruling he must serve at least two-thirds of the term before becoming eligible for parole.
