Ex-Senator Guilty of Drugging French Lawmaker to Abuse Her

A former French senator was found guilty in a high-profile drug-facilitated sexual assault case, more than a year after France was shaken by a mass rape trial that made Gisèle Pelicot a symbol of the fight against sexual violence. Joel Guerriau, 68, stood trial for putting the drug commonly known as ecstasy into a glass of champagne he served to lawmaker Sandrine Josso in November 2023. Guerriau has acknowledged serving her a drink containing MDMA but says it was an accident, the AP reports. A Paris court found him guilty of having drugged Josso to sexually assault or rape her.

A Paris court on Tuesday sentenced him to 18 months in prison, an additional suspended sentence of 2.5 years, and a ban on holding elected office. Josso, 50, has since become a leading voice on the issue, helping spearhead a parliamentary investigation into drug-related crimes.

• Josso, a centrist member of the National Assembly, told the court that the center-right senator invited her to his Paris apartment for what she believed was a reelection celebration. The two had known each other for years and were on friendly terms. She said she quickly began feeling unwell after drinking champagne, suffering heart palpitations and uncontrollable shaking.
• Josso left the apartment, took a taxi and went to a hospital, where blood tests revealed a substantial quantity of MDMA—far higher than levels typically associated with recreational use. "I want the truth to come out. It's important to me," Josso told the court. She later took medical and psychological leave.
• When she returned to the National Assembly two months later, she publicly recounted the incident. "I went to a friend's house to celebrate his reelection. I came out terrified," she told lawmakers. "I discovered an assailant. I then realized that I had been drugged without knowing it. That's what we call drug-facilitated assault."

• "He looked at me insistently, I'd never seen him that way," she testified Monday, per the BBC. "I didn't want to show him my weakness, because I was worried that if I told him I wasn't feeling well, he would've forced me to lie down."
• Guerriau told the court he made a "very serious" mistake that led him to serve Josso a drugged drink. "I feel really sorry for Sandrine. That's something I never wanted," he said. "I hope one day she'll forgive me." He said another senator had given him MDMA months earlier to help cope with depression and anxiety, though he refused to name the lawmaker. Guerriau said he had put the white powder into a glass intended for himself the night before but did not use it, then mistakenly served the same glass to Josso the next day.
• Investigators testified that Guerriau had searched online for information about drugs, including ecstasy, in connection with rape about a month before the incident. Guerriau claimed the research was part of his work as a senator. "I never intended to commit an assault or harm Ms. Josso. I am devastated," he told the court Tuesday.
• Guerriau remained in the Senate for nearly two years after being charged despite calls for his resignation. He stepped down in October, presenting the move as political and unrelated to the case.
• Less than a year after the senator's case broke out, France was rocked by Gisèle Pelicot's case, which put a worldwide spotlight on drug-facilitated sexual abuse. Pelicot's ex-husband and 50 other men were convicted of sexually assaulting her while she was under chemical submission between 2011 and 2020. Josso became a major figure in France's fight against drug-related sexual assault, joining an association set up by Gisèle Pelicot's daughter, Caroline Darian.