A French member of parliament, Sandrine Josso, has accused Senator Joël Guerriau of spiking her drink with the illegal drug ecstasy. The alleged incident occurred last week when Guerriau invited Josso to his home to celebrate his recent re-election. Josso claims Guerriau’s behaviour seemed suspicious – he repeatedly encouraged her to drink champagne and turned the lights on bright and then dim. She says the champagne tasted oddly sweet. Josso saw Guerriau take a white sachet from the kitchen and put it away, making her realise he had slipped something into her drink.
Feeling ill with symptoms like a racing heart, Josso summoned her strength, called a taxi, and left despite Guerriau following her out of the building for 10 distressing minutes. Once in the taxi, she met with parliamentary colleagues who called medical help. Hospital tests revealed traces of ecstasy in her system.
Guerriau denies wrongdoing but his lawyer admits he acquired an unknown substance from someone at the senate during his difficult September campaign. While alone one evening, he considered taking it to relieve stress but instead left residue in a glass. His lawyer contends Guerriau accidentally served that tainted glass to Josso the next day, insisting Guerriau never intended to drug or assault her.
Guerriau was arrested and charged with administering a judgment-altering substance to commit assault and possessing illegal drugs. He has been suspended from his Horizons party and faces pressure to resign his senate seat. The senate speaker has urged Guerriau to halt all senate duties given the gravity of the accusations.
Josso says she’s still in shock but hopes her experience raises awareness about drink-spiking, which she says can happen to anyone. The French government is facing calls to address this issue.
While details are still emerging, the situation has caused an uproar in French politics. Josso stresses that she wants to sound the alarm about drink-spiking as a troubling problem – one she worries could strike any unsuspecting person. The outcome of Guerriau’s case awaits, but Josso hopes shining light on what happened will spur positive change.
Photo by Bruno Abatti on Unsplash
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