Former French lawmaker claims spiking drink of female MP 18 years his junior was "a stupid mistake"

According to The Financial News, a former French senator has been sentenced to prison in a first-instance trial for allegedly serving alcohol laced with the drug 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, commonly known as Ecstasy) to a fellow female lawmaker.
On the 27th local time, a French court sentenced former senator Joël Guerriau, 68, to four years in prison on sexual offense charges, according to foreign media including Agence France-Presse (AFP) on the 29th.
In November 2023, while still a member of the French Senate, Guerriau invited fellow lawmaker Sandrine Josso, 50, to his home and offered her champagne. About 20 minutes after drinking it, Josso felt her heart racing and began to break out in a cold sweat.
Sensing something was wrong, Josso immediately left the scene and arrived at the Palais Bourbon around 10 p.m., where she received emergency treatment. She later underwent blood and urine tests at a hospital, which detected the presence of MDMA. MDMA is a psychoactive substance with hallucinogenic effects and is classified as a narcotic drug.
Josso filed a complaint against Guerriau, and investigators searched his home, seizing MDMA as evidence before placing him under arrest.
Josso testified, "Senator Guerriau proposed several toasts, and he kept fiddling with the living room light switch, changing the brightness in different ways," adding, "I also saw him put a small plastic bag containing a white substance into a drawer under the kitchen counter."
She went on, "The champagne tasted strangely sweet and syrupy, and I wondered if it had gone bad," and added, "After the incident, a doctor explained to me that manipulating the lighting is sometimes used as a method to maximize the effects of drugs."
During the trial, Guerriau admitted, "It is true that I handed her the champagne," but argued that putting MDMA in it was "a stupid accident" and not intentional.
However, the prosecutor in charge of the case countered, "It is obvious that Guerriau handed her the glass with the intention of sexually assaulting Ms. Josso," and sarcastically asked, "Do you think he did that just to steal her wallet?"
The court accepted the prosecution's argument that he acted with the intent to commit sexual assault.
After his arrest, Guerriau was expelled from his party Horizons. He subsequently resigned from the French Senate in October last year.


moon@fnnews.com Moon Young-jin Reporter