Former French senator Joël Guerriau was convicted on Tuesday to four years in prison, with one and a half years to be served immediately, for administering ecstasy to a fellow parliamentarian, Sandrine Josso, without her consent in order to facilitate a sexual assault. The case was heard in the Paris criminal court, which found that Guerriau had intent to sexually assault Josso. He was also sentenced to a five‑year period of ineligibility to hold office and ordered to undergo compulsory treatment. Josso, who was 50, said she felt ill after drinking a glass of champagne offered by Guerriau in his official residence and that the drink had an abnormal taste. Toxicology confirmed the presence of ecstasy in her blood and in Guerriau’s apartment. Guerriau, who resigned as senator in October 2025 amid the scandal, plans to appeal, claiming the act was a lapse of attention. The verdict follows a 2024 conviction of Dominique Pelicot for drugging and repeatedly raping his wife Gisele, a case that drew international media attention and prompted reforms of French rape law to include consent. The ruling underscores the growing scrutiny of drug‑facilitated sexual assault in France and the broader European context.

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