French former senator found guilty of drugging MP with intent to sexually assault her

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 3 min read 100% complete by Agence France-PresseJanuary 28, 2026 at 01:02 AM

AI Summary

medium article 3 min

Former French senator Joël Guerriau was found guilty by a French court of drugging National Assembly MP Sandrine Josso with ecstasy in November 2023 with the intent to sexually assault her. Guerriau was sentenced to four years in prison, with 18 months to be served behind bars. Josso reported feeling unwell after drinking champagne at Guerriau's apartment and a toxicology report confirmed the presence of ecstasy in her blood. Guerriau claimed the drugging was accidental, stating he had intended to use the ecstasy for a panic attack but did not. He has resigned from the senate and was expelled from his political party and plans to appeal the verdict.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Benjamin Coulon 30% Horizons 30% National Assembly 40% Arnaud Godefroy 40% Dominique Pelicot 50% Paris ×260% France 70% Sandrine Josso ×980% Joël Guerriau ×790%

Keywords

drugging 90% sexual assault 80% joel guerriau 80% ecstasy 70% former senator 70% prison sentence 60% sandrine josso 60% mp 60% toxicology report 50% court 50%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Negative

Score: -0.70

Source Transparency

Source

The Guardian - World News

Political Lean

Center-Left (-0.40)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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drugging sexual assault joel guerriau ecstasy former senator prison sentence sandrine josso mp toxicology report court

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