France, Oct. 9 -- A man convicted of raping Gisele Pelicot, who survived years of assaults orchestrated by her husband while she was drugged unconscious, has lost his appeal against the verdict. A court in southern France also stiffened his sentence to 10 years in prison.

Husamettin Dogan was the only man still claiming innocence among 51 convicted of abusing Pelicot at the original trial last year.

The court in Nîmes denied his appeal on Thursday after four days of hearings, rejecting his defence that he had not knowingly committed rape.

The ex-construction worker, 44, saw his sentence increased to 10 years in prison, less than the 12 sought by the prosecution but more than the nine he received after the original trial. 'Take res...