"A French court has found a former senator guilty of drugging a female lawmaker with ecstasy with intent to sexually assault her. Joel Guerriau, 68, was sentenced to four years in prison on Tuesday, of which 18 months must be behind bars. The high-profile trial of the former senator comes months after France was stunned by a case that saw Frenchman Dominique Pelicot jailed for 20 years for repeatedly drugging his then-wife so he and dozens of strangers could rape her."
"As the evening went on, I discovered an attacker. She was the only guest at his Paris home that evening, and after he poured her a glass of champagne in the kitchen, she noted it tasted sweet and sticky. I thought maybe it was a bad champagne. Then he insisted that we toast again. I found that odd, she said in court."
"Guerriau's lawyers said he would appeal. French prosecutors had sought a four-year prison sentence for the former senator, who described the drugging of his friend of 10 years in November 2023 as an accident and called himself an idiot. Guerriau, who has denied any sexual motivation against Josso, resigned from the upper house in October. He was expelled from the centre-right Horizons party soon after."
Former senator Joel Guerriau, 68, was convicted of drugging National Assembly MP Sandrine Josso with ecstasy intending sexual assault and was sentenced to four years, including 18 months in prison. Prosecutors had sought a four-year term. Guerriau said the drugging was an accident, called himself an idiot, denied sexual motivation, resigned from the upper house and was expelled from Horizons. Josso said she visited Guerriau’s apartment to celebrate his re-election, felt unwell after drinking champagne that tasted sweet and sticky, and left for hospital. A toxicology report found a high dose of ecstasy in her blood and ecstasy was found in Guerriau’s flat. Her lawyer said she took six months off work for treatment.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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