Paris
AP
—
A former French senator goes on trial in Paris on Monday on charges of drugging and sexually assaulting another lawmaker, mirroring the landmark drug-and-rape trial that captivated France and turned Gisele Pericot into a global symbol of the fight against sexual violence.
Joel Guerriault, 68, is accused of putting the drug MDMA in a champagne glass he gave to Sandrine Josso, a member of parliament who left her seat after feeling unwell. He admitted to providing her with a drink laced with MDMA, but claims it was an accident.
Mr. Josso, 50, has since spoken out about the case and helped lead a parliamentary investigation into drug-related crimes.
Here’s what you need to know about the case that brought national attention to drug violence in France.
Guerriault is charged with drug use and possession and secretly administering an identity-altering substance to commit rape or sexual assault.
Josso, a centrist lawmaker, said the centre-right senator invited her to his Paris apartment for what appeared to be a re-election celebration. Josso had known Gerio for years and considered him a friend.
She told French media that she felt sick immediately after drinking the champagne.
“I had heart palpitations. I had never experienced anything so frightening that I felt like I was going to go into cardiac arrest,” she explained.
Josso also said that at one point she noticed a small package in Gerio’s hand. She left the scene and took a taxi to the hospital, where a blood test detected MDMA.
Two months later, when she returned to Parliament, she described her situation as follows:
“I went to a friend’s house to celebrate my re-election. I came out terrified,” she told lawmakers. “I found my assailant, and then I realized that I had been given drugs without my knowledge. This is what is called a drug-facilitated assault,” she added.
Geriou said he had no intention of drugging or assaulting Josso.
Lawyers for the former senator claim their client made a “mishandling error” and provided Ms Josso with a drug-laced drink.
Police say Mr Josso admitted to having drugs in his home, claimed he was suffering from depression, and claimed he had put the drugs in a glass the previous day with the intention of drinking it himself, but instead of drinking, he accidentally handed the glass to Mr Josso.
Mr. Gerio remained in the Senate for almost two years after his indictment, despite political pressure to resign. He resigned in October, calling the move a political decision unrelated to legal proceedings.
Raping or sexually assaulting someone by drugging them is punishable by up to five years in prison. Gerio could face up to 10 years in prison for drug possession charges.
This case mirrors the landmark Pericot case.
Less than a year after the senator’s case broke, France was rocked by the Gisele Pericot case, which focused global attention on drug-facilitated sexual abuse.
Perricotte’s ex-husband and 50 other men were found guilty of sexually assaulting her while she was under chemical subjugation between 2011 and 2020.
This harrowing and unprecedented trial revealed how pornography, chat rooms, and men’s indifference to or vague understanding of consent fuel rape culture.
Josso joined the association founded by Gisèle Pericot’s daughter Caroline Darien, co-authored a parliamentary report on drug-related sexual abuse, and became a key figure in France’s fight against drug-related sexual assault.
Following the Pericot trial, France adopted a new law in October 2025 that defines rape and other sexual assaults as non-consensual sexual acts. Previously, French law defined rape as penetration or oral sex using “force, force, threat or surprise.”
