(UPDATE) AVIGNON, France — A court in southern France on Thursday sentenced a man to the maximum term of 20 years in jail for committing and orchestrating the mass rapes of his now-former wife Gisele Pelicot with dozens of strangers he recruited online.

Dominique Pelicot, who had already confessed to the crimes, was earlier found guilty by the court in the city of Avignon after an over-three-month trial that shocked the West European nation and turned his ex-wife into a feminist hero.

His 50 co-defendants in the case were also convicted by the court, with no acquittals.

Tension was palpable in the courtroom, where a heavy police presence was deployed.

Many defendants arrived at the hearing with their bags packed, ready for prison. One of them was in tears as he hugged his companion before entering the courtroom.

"Mr. Pelicot, you are found guilty of the aggravated rape of Gisele Pelicot," said Roger Arata, the presiding judge of the criminal court in Avignon.

Delivering the sentence, Arata said Dominique would not be eligible for parole until he has served two-thirds of his sentence.

Dominique, 72, has admitted to drugging Gisele for almost a decade so he and strangers he recruited online could rape her.

Gisele, also 72, has become a feminist hero at home and abroad for refusing to be ashamed, waiving her right to a closed trial and standing up to her aggressors in court.

Alongside her ex-husband, 50 other men ages 27 to 74 have been on trial, including one who did not abuse her but raped his own wife with Dominique's help.

'Verdict for the future'

On Nov. 25, prosecutors requested the maximum sentence against Dominique for aggravated rape.

It was widely expected that Dominique would receive the full 20-year term but considerably more uncertainty has surrounded the sentencing of the other defendants.

The prosecution has requested 10 to 18 years in prison against the 49 defendants also charged with aggravated rape. One of these accused is on the run and being tried in absentia.

One more accused — facing the lesser charge of groping — risks up to four years in prison.

Thirty-two of the accused have attended the trial as free men while the others, including Dominique, were remanded in custody.

Earlier on Thursday, Gisele arrived at the courthouse smiling and cheered by crowds of supporters and feminist activists waiting outside who chanted her name and slogans like "Justice for Gisele" and "Shame has Changed Sides."

"Rape affects women all over the world. That's why the whole world has its eyes on what's going to happen," said Ghislaine Sainte Catherine, one of the members of the Amazons of Avignon feminist collective.

Gisele's children David, Caroline and Florian arrived half an hour earlier, entering the courtroom alongside a group of men accused of raping their mother.

"We came with our things for prison," said one of them, pointing to the sports bags on the ground.

Images of Gisele dominated the front pages of major French papers on Thursday.

"A verdict for the future," said left-leaning Liberation. "Merci madame," said L'Humanite, while La Provenance declared "the moment of truth."