Senator found guilty of drugging MP
A former senator has been convicted of spiking an MP’s drink with ecstasy in a shocking attempt to sexually assault her.
Joel Guerriau, the French senator in question, has been sentenced to four years in prison, with 18 months of that time to be served in jail. Additionally, local media reports that he has been ordered to pay Sandrine Josso €5,000 (£4,348) for the emotional distress he caused her.
Guerriau, who is now 68, invited Josso, 50, to his Paris apartment back in November 2023. He later confessed to serving her a drink that was laced with MDMA, but insisted it was an accident and denied any intention to harm her.
After the verdict was announced on Tuesday, Josso expressed that it was a “huge relief,” according to AFP. On the other hand, Guerriau’s legal team stated that he plans to appeal the decision.
As reported by French media, court documents revealed that Josso had visited Guerriau’s home three years prior to celebrate his re-election. It was during this visit that she began to feel unwell after sipping from a champagne glass.
“I went to see a friend and ended up facing an aggressor,” she recounted on Monday while testifying in court.
“He was looking at me in a way I had never seen before. I didn’t want to show any signs of weakness because I feared that if I admitted I wasn’t feeling well, he might have forced me to lie down.”
Josso remembered managing to leave the apartment and, with the assistance of a colleague, made her way to the hospital, where a toxicology report revealed her blood contained three times the typical recreational dose of MDMA.
Guerriau, who is now 68, invited Josso, 50, to his Paris apartment back in November 2023. He later confessed to serving her a drink that was laced with MDMA, but insisted it was an accident and denied any intention to harm her.
After the verdict was announced on Tuesday, Josso expressed that it was a “huge relief,” according to AFP. On the other hand, Guerriau’s legal team stated that he plans to appeal the decision.
As reported by French media, court documents revealed that Josso had visited Guerriau’s home three years prior to celebrate his re-election. It was during this visit that she began to feel unwell after sipping from a champagne glass.
“I went to see a friend and ended up facing an aggressor,” she recounted on Monday while testifying in court.
“He was looking at me in a way I had never seen before. I didn’t want to show any signs of weakness because I feared that if I admitted I wasn’t feeling well, he might have forced me to lie down.”
Josso remembered managing to leave the apartment and, with the assistance of a colleague, made her way to the hospital, where a toxicology report revealed her blood contained three times the typical recreational dose of MDMA.
Josso, who continues to serve as an MP for the centre-right MoDem, has become a passionate advocate against what’s known as chemical submission – a form of drug-facilitated sexual assault.
“What I went through is still incredibly painful,” Josso shared with French media as the trial was about to start.
“Psychological trauma feels like being stuck in a moment… I flinch at the smallest things. I’ve become quite vulnerable.”
Josso has also joined an organization fighting against chemical submission, founded by Caroline Darian – the daughter of Dominique Pelicot, who was convicted in 2024 for drugging his wife Gisele and allowing men to assault her in their home for over a decade.
Josso was frequently present in court during the Pelicot trial. This week, Darian and her brother David were there to witness the proceedings in the Guerriau case.
Senator found guilty of drugging MP
