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christian: hello. i'm christian fraser, and this is "the context." >> i want you to know that we share the same fight. >> he wanted to reduce her to an object, an obsession to be used for his satisfaction. then he could than the subject to the people, and to do that, he needed to drug her. >> all the guilty verdicts chemist no surprise, but it is the length or rather the shortness of some of the sentences that has provoked some consternation. christian: in france, the biggest mass rape trial has come to an end, dominique pelicot jailed for 20 years for raping his wife, gisèle.

luigi mangione, the man accused of shooting debbie health care ceo brian thompson, is flown to new york, where he is facing federal charges. we will get the latest from our correspondent outside the courthouse in new york. lord peter mendelson named as the u.k.'s new ambassador to the united states, and the security brief. rare access denied to a base in england where ukrainian front-line soldiers are being trained for battle. very good evening. the man accused of shooting dead the ceo of america's biggest health insurance company has been flown back to new york. luigi mangione dropped his fight to be extradited from pennsylvania today and was flown to new york, where he is appearing in court. there were dramatic pictures, the accused dressed in an orange jumpsuit, handcuffed, and surrounded by heavily armed police. today we learned he is facing

additional federal charges over the killing of brian thompson. those new charges include murder through the use of a firearm and two stocking charges, on top of state-level charges already filed in new york, which include first-degree murder. let's go to the courthouse in new york for correspondent nada tawfik. no phones in the courtroom, as was the case in pennsylvania. what are you hearing? nada: we are waiting for updates from inside, but this is an official arraignment. as you mentioned, luigi mangione already inside with his new york lawyer, and as she walked into the courthouse, she was silent. she didn't answer any questions, christian. she has raised concerns in a statement that these federal charges might have constitutional issues. she says they might be double jeopardy on top of what she described as overreaching state charges.

christian, it is clear that officials here in new york want to make an example out of luigi mangione. new york mayor following him as he arrived here in the new york, during the dramatic purple walk flanked by heavily armed security-- doing the dramatic perp walk flanked by heavily armed security. the mayor says he wants the message to be that include that this act that he classified as terrorism would not be tolerated in new york. you just saw given how luigi mangione was paraded in front of the, that they are trying to deliver that message in word and in practice. but as i say, luigi mangione inside for the formal arraignment, and we will see if his lawyer speaks after. christian: in respect to these pictures we are seeing, nada, of him walking across the try mac, the apron of the airfield in this orange jumpsuit, this has been done, as you say, to dampen

some of the support he has had in so many quarters in the country, his folk-hero status that he has developed since the murder. nada: and that is something that is very much concerned the new york police commissioner, the manhattan district attorney, the mayor, in every press conference that they have done they have repeated that they do not believe that luigi mangione should be celebrated in the way that he has by many, christian, on social media. this case is a little bit different in that it is not just a few fringe figures celebrating him. we are really seeing people look at brian thompson as representing an industry in which there is a lot of anger in america towards. insurance companies accused of essentially profiting off of denying people health care. what officials are saying is that you have to separate, you have to understand that this type of violence cannot be tolerated or celebrated in any

way, this is vigilantism more seen in the fictional city of gotham, not in the real city of new york. they clearly want to tamp down that type of talk. christian: nada, thank you for the moment. we will go to you with news from new york. lord peter mandelson named the new you can't master to the united states. it is a political gamble, lord mandelson was a major figure in the labor years but is not stood since then. within labor ranks it is fair to say he is loved and loathed in equal measure, not and probably to the taste of those on the left of his party. but it is an important appointment, given the concern and focus that is always there on the special relationship. sir keir starmer has talked about resuming talks over a tray deal, and lord mandelson served as business secretary and european missionary for trade in brussels.

let's speak to political correspondent helen cap, who is no doubt poring across the reaction coming in. what do you make of it? >> this is one of the names that had been long touted for this role, lord mandelson. he's been a bit cagey about it, saying when asked him about it. he just one of the names that has been in the freight, and there are two things which are striking about him as a choice. the first is that this is a political appointment and this comes after many years when actually the top diplomats the uk's been sending to washington have tended to be civil servants or to have a background. lord mandelson a political figure. that is quite an unusual move in and of itself. the second thing we understand has driven this choice is, as you outlined, his experience with trade, his role as a commissioner for trade in the past, business secretary when he

was under gordon brown's government. it is that experience, because we know there is going to be such a focus on that as part of the u.k.-u.s. relationship under the trump administration, it seems to have been behind this choice, and it's also added to the fact that he is close to the prime minister. a government source says that this shows how importantly they see their relationship with the trump administration that we are sending someone close to the prime minister with unrivaled political and policy experience, particularly on the crucial issue of trade. this has not been formally announced yet. i'm told by foreign office sources that will happen, as they put it, in the usual way. but he has been chosen as the next ambassador. christian: just a real quickie, he is the one who said the party needed to do better in its relationship with elon musk. they did talk, sir keir starmer and the president, yesterday. given what happened to lord kim

derek and the way he was ousted, it is a tricky job, this. helen: it is, but lord mandelson is seen as a particularly skilled political operator. he is one of the architects of the new labor in the 1990's and 2000s. he is seen westminster as really skilled at that political operation. and there is ground laying going on as well. i understand that the incoming trump administration was told about this, about this choice, before he was appointed. there has been ground late as well. [laughter] christian: i have no doubt about that. yeah, you will need all those skills in that job. helen, thank you very much. we will take a short break. around the world and across the u.k., you are watching bbc news.

christian: welcome back. the sordid details of the abuse

to which dominique pelicot exposed his wife, gisèle, are shocking. he drugged her, he raped her, and for 20 years he invited her to 70 men to the bedroom to do as they please. it shocked france and attracted worldwide attention and commentary can how could a husband be so cruel, so manipulative to a woman he shared his life with 450 years? today after--for 50 years? today after liver testimony, 50 men were found guilty for what they had done to gisèle pelicot. for ex-husband will most likely die behind bars, sentenced to 20 years for his crimes. but this case is not only about them. it should be remembered for the bravery shown by gisèle. a grandmother who went public, who shifted the shame from survivor to perpetrator to encourage other women like her to come forward. we start with this report from

our paris correspondent andrew harding. andrew: the accused arrived early at court. thesis masked as usual. some with prison bags already packed. for the crowd here in the forest of cameras, they were not here for the men. this trial has in so many ways become all about this woman, gisèle pelicot. her face at least seems serene this morning. the rape victim who refused to feel shame. inside the crowded courtroom, the judge quickly got on with the business of the day. verdicts first, then sentencing for all 51 men. dominique pelicot sat quietly in his glass cage as the judge turned to address him. >> the defendants will stand up in turn to hear the verdicts. mr. pelicot first.

the court finds him guilty of aggravated rape. andrew: inside the courtroom, the verdicts have been coming at a furious pace -- guilty, guilty, guilty. dominic calico has stood out to be told he will be sentenced to 20 years in prison, the maximum in france for rape. he showed no emotion, nor did his former wife gisèle sitting quietly at the other side of the courtroom. outside the courthouse, some people celebrated the news. but others were angry that many of the men got lighter sentences than anticipated. "shame," they shouted. back inside, dominique pelicot's lawyer told me her client was considering an appeal. asked what his mood was like, "fatalistic," she replied, "the way he has always been throughout the trial." and then after a pause, gisèle

calico emerged to make a short statement. >> i want to express my deepest gratitude to all the people who have supported me throughout this ordeal. i was overwhelmed by your support, and i drew from it the strength to come back every day to face these long days of hearings. i wanted to open the doors of this trial last september so that society could see what was happening. i have never regretted this decision. i have confidence now in our capacity collectively to find a better future in which men and women alike can live harmoniously together with respect and mutual understanding. thank you. andrew: it's half a century now since the pelicots met and fell in love. she described him as a perfect husband.

but in 2020, dominique pelicot was caught with this footage filming up women's skirts in a local supermarket. police discovered other videos proving that he had been dragging his wife and inviting dozens of strangers to rape her as he felt. -- filmed. >> mr. pelicot desired total control over his wife. he wanted to reduce her to an object, a position to be used for his satisfaction. then he could lend this object to other people. and to do all that, he needed to drug her. andrew: and this wasn't his first crime. dna evidence soon proved pelicot had become attacking women -- begun attacking women years earlier. he also took indecent images of his daughter caroline, who was in court along with her two brothers. she is convinced her father also raped her. this afternoon, pelicot and most of the other rapists were taken

away to begin their sentences. there was a moment of tension outside when one of the defense lawyers taunted the crowd, calling them hysterical, then swearing at them. here comes gisèle pelicot now leaving the courthouse for the last time. she has achieved something quite extraordinary. this courageous public stance, the impact will surely ripple through society for decades. she could, like most rape victims, have chosen to remain anonymous for the trial. instead, listen to the reaction she now receives. she wanted to change attitudes, and perhaps she has. "rise up," they sing. and with that, madame pelicot, engulfed by gratitude, looks on.

andrew harding, bbc news. christian: joining me tonight, the senator for the french living abroad, the vice chairwoman of the french foreign affairs and defense committee. thank you very much for being with us. are you surprised by the leniency of many of the sentences that were handed out today? >> well, first of all, i'm relieved that all of these men were sentenced. i know that it ranges from three years to 15 years in prison, but at least it shows that it was taken seriously. as you well know, we still have a problem in france with the leniency that -- of certain sentences, and when rate is concerned.-- rape is concerned. so what the trial has achieved -- and your coverage is excellent, i find it shows that there is an awareness that rape

can take place in the home, an awareness of the use of drugs as well to perpetrate rape. christian: on that point, if i read the french definition of rape, i think a lot of people at home would be shocked because he describes it as a sex act committed on someone using violence, coercion, threat, or surprise, but it makes no mention of the need for consent, which is by no means to be held up as an example when it comes to prosecuting rape, but it is there in black and white in british law. is that something that the assembly and senate will look again at helene: yes, absolutely, and it is something we have been looking after change the law and france, as indeed, consent is really at the core of this trial, which showed apart from the fact that gisèle pelicot was unconscious when she was raped, and of course cannot be asked her consent, but it is something

that is absolutely essential, and it is something we are working on indeed. christian: one aspect of the trial that it shocked me was the question the president of the court put to the accused. for kind of needs do you have sexually, he asked them. what does that tell you about the way rape is viewed in french society even within the legal system? helene: well, as i said, there is a long way to go for society to move on and have equal rights between men and women and for -- in terms of sexual assault or sexual violence to be properly defined as it is indeed in british law, which is something we do not have yet, and indeed, which leads to these types of questions come which are absolute shocking. in fact, there were so many

women outside of the court, so much support for gisèle pelicot, is because within french society there is this need for her determination, her courage to go through this ordeal, and have these types of questions put to her, which in effect help us as society to move on and reject all fashion -- old-fashioned or simply things that are just not right. it is helping us collectively to move on. i think there was a lot -- she was sober and dignified in her attitude. i think it counters absolutely what she had to be put through through these years and put through even within the trial. christian: one of the other issues that obviously needs to be looked at is what goes on online. dominique pelicot used a website

to recruit these men. that has been shut down, but several others have been uncovered in investigations that do similar things, that promote sexual violence towards women. what does the legislature proposed to do about that? helene: well, we are torn between two things. there is freedom of speech, and at the same time there is respect of privacy and so on. within these networks, we know that legislation is stopping condemning anti-semitism, racism, people pushing others to violent acts, and so on. but it is up also to the social networks to be able to control that and actually suppress and stop those sites that have been open f there's a certain

amount of control, but the activity, the digital activity is so huge that it is very difficult for the national agencies today to control absolutely everything. it i onlys when there is a recognition of a website or detection of a lot of activity going on that it can actually be stopped or closed down. but the legislation cannot do everything. i think we need collectively to take us to what goes on line the controls that could be put to protect our youth, also. a lot of pornographic films now today are available. statistics are showing that a lot of underage have access to those sites. of course it is pushing towards more violent, towards sexual violence, of course, because these young minds feel that

because they see it online, that it is like looking at pictures of cats and whatever, women being raped or beaten up. the access and the use of social networks is really something that concerns us. legislation cannot really do everything. i think we need collectively to think as to how parents can control what their children have access to come and maybe -- christian: very much a debate ongoing in this country as well. thank you very much for coming on. helene: thank you, thank you to you. christian: the bank of england has held interest rate to 4.5% today, the three members of the monetary committee voted to reduce it. the bank said its decision to hold the red was because of uncertainty about how the members had announced in the autumn budget and how that was affecting growth. not an ideal backdrop for prime minister sitting down in front of the parliamentary liaison

committee, often described as a super comedic because it brings together shares of other committees. it was around a variety of policy areas, but the toughest questions were ongoing and the commands the labour party made in the election campaign, namely the pledge to restore growth. let's speak to the labor mp for voxel and camo green. thank you for being with us. i did watch some of it today i can't yo-- caught your question. you asked about the housing crisis and why the government had frozen the local housing alliance. that is a means-tested benefit intended to help people of low income pay for their commission. you satisfied with the answer you got? >> we were waiting to hear from the prime minister in terms of the 1.5 million pounds. what we were keen to hear from the prime minister was the situation facing so many of your listeners and people in my constituency and right across

the country now who are feeling the sharp and of really high rent and being forced into temporary accommodation, because we can't build our way out of the situation. there are 1.5 million people on the housing waiting list across the u.k.. in my borough alone there are 3000 people. christian: he has rejected the claim -- she has frozen the means tested benefits of the poorest renters in the country. do you think he really understands the impact of these decisions? ms. eshalomi: i'm hoping that after today's session where myself and all my other colleagues were table to question and scrutinize the prime minister and some of the decisions the government had taken, i hope we will have a better understanding of what is filling our inboxes. and undoubtedly what is filling his inbox as well as the mp representing an inner london constituency. it's very clear from the

committee, drawing on some of the evidence we have had in our first three sessions around the impact of the freeze of the local housing allowance and what that is doing to people now in accommodation. i wanted the prime minister to hear some of the concern i had reflected to me at these light committee -- the select committee. christian: sorry we are pressed for time tonight. thank you for coming on. ms. eshalomi: thank you. christian: we will take a short break. the other side of the break, really good film to show you. mikey k has been here in and undisclosed space in ascending than with ukrainian soldiers here for training. very rare access you will want to see. don't go away. ♪ rear access. -- announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by...

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