Paris, Jan 26 - A former French senator has appeared in court this week charged with allegedly drugging a fellow lawmaker in order to carry out a sexual assault. Joel Guerriau, 68, who stepped down from the Senate in October 2025 in connection with the matter, is accused of having given Sandrine Josso "a substance liable to alter her discernment or control over her actions, in order to commit rape or sexual aggression," according to court documents.
The charges laid out against Guerriau also include possession and use of ecstasy, the same court documents show. The accused has denied the allegations.
Prosecution filings recount that Josso felt unwell after drinking a few sips of champagne she says was offered to her by Guerriau at his apartment, where they had gathered to mark an electoral victory. Josso told investigators the champagne did not taste normal and that she believed if she had not managed to leave the flat she would have been assaulted. The court document quotes her as saying she was certain Guerriau wanted to "satisfy an urge."
A toxicology examination later detected traces of ecstasy in Josso's blood, and ecstasy was also reportedly found in Guerriau's apartment, the court document stated. If convicted on the charges related to administering a substance to impair discernment with the intention to commit rape or sexual aggression, Guerriau faces up to five years in prison and a fine of 75,000 euros, the papers say.
Guerriau's lawyer was not immediately available to comment, the court documents note. The former senator's party, Horizons - which is part of the governing alliance supporting President Emmanuel Macron - told French media in November 2023 that Guerriau had been suspended with immediate effect following the accusations.
The trial is scheduled to run until Tuesday. The proceedings have drawn wider public attention in France in the wake of a 2024 conviction in which Dominique Pelicot was found guilty of repeatedly drugging and raping his wife, Gisele, and of inviting dozens of strangers to assault her while she was unconscious. That case received extensive coverage and contributed to renewed focus on drug-facilitated sexual assaults.
Guerriau maintains his denial of the charges as the court reviews the evidence presented by prosecutors and investigators. The outcome of the trial will determine potential criminal penalties, including the prison term and fine noted in the court documents.
($1 = 0.8432 euros)