A court on Thursday convicted of aggravated rape a French man for orchestrating the mass rapes of his now former wife Gisele Pelicot by dozens of strangers who he recruited online.

Dominique Pelicot, who had already confessed to the crimes, was found guilty by the court in the southern city of Avignon after an over three month trial that shocked France and turned his former wife Gisele Pelicot into a feminist hero. He faces the maximum term of 20 years in jail when the judge later announces sentencing.