Ex-Senator from France Sentenced for Drugging and Assaulting Fellow Lawmaker
An ex-senator from France has been sentenced to prison for a year and a half for administering drugs to a female colleague with the intention of sexually abusing her. The victim described the incident as a terrifying ordeal that has left her with long-term trauma.
Joël Guerriau, aged 68, confessed to giving Sandrine Josso a beverage mixed with MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy. However, he maintains that it was unintentional.
Conviction and Sentence
A court in Paris found him guilty of drugging Josso with the intent to sexually assault or rape her, and for possession of drugs. In addition to the prison sentence, he received a suspended sentence of two and a half years, mandatory treatment, and a prohibition on holding public office.
Following the announcement of the verdict, Josso expressed it as a "massive relief". Meanwhile, Guerriau's legal representative announced that they would contest the judgment.
National Attention to Drug-Enabled Assault
This trial has drawn the spotlight to the issue of drug-aided assault in a nation already known for a high-profile drugging and rape case involving Gisèle Pelicot, a global symbol for the fight against sexual violence.
Josso, a 50-year-old member of the National Assembly, recounted how Guerriau, who was a senator at the time, invited her to his apartment in Paris to celebrate his re-election in November of 2023. The pair, who had been acquaintances for several years, maintained a friendly relationship.
The Ordeal
"I could feel myself fading," Josso stated in court, explaining how she had heart palpitations after having a few sips of champagne. She felt uncomfortable being alone with Guerriau, who seemed unusually nervous and kept switching lights on and off.
According to Josso, Guerriau took her glass to the kitchen to refill it, which was when she spotted him holding "a small bag", leading her to believe she had been drugged.
"My legs were trembling, and I was extremely parched," she shared, her voice filled with emotion. She tried to mask her symptoms, fearing Guerriau might get suspicious. She eventually managed to leave and hail a taxi.
"I thought about my children, I called a colleague and told him I thought I was going to die," she told the court, holding back tears.
Later blood tests showed that she had consumed an amount of MDMA far exceeding the levels usually associated with recreational use.
The Aftermath
Josso spoke about the enduring trauma, which includes sleep disorders, difficulty eating, panic attacks in trains and on staircases, and severe stress that led to her grinding her teeth to the point where several had to be extracted.
Guerriau, who sounded unclear and disoriented, answered the court's questions for hours. He stated that he was struggling with depression at the time and still couldn't recall the events clearly.
Guerriau's Defense
Guerriau stepped down from his position as a senator in October, stating it was a political move unrelated to the legal case. He admitted his "foolishness" and "ignorance" about drugs, saying that another senator had given him the MDMA powder months prior, which he claimed he never used.
He told the court that he had planned on consuming the drug himself the night before the incident. He ended up not doing so and accidentally offered the glass containing MDMA to Josso the next evening, or so he claimed.
"I feel sorry for Sandrine," Guerriau told the court. "I am repulsed by my own carelessness and stupidity."
Investigators found that Guerriau had looked up information online about drug use, including ecstasy, in relation to rape about a month before the incident. Guerriau claimed that the research was part of his senatorial duties and was meant to help him better understand the issue.