A former French senator has gone on trial in Paris accused of drugging a fellow politician in order to sexually assault her, in a case that has shaken French politics.

Joël Guerriau, 68, was a centrist senator for Loire-Atlantique in the west of France in November 2023 when he is accused of spiking a glass of champagne with MDMA and serving it to Sandrine Josso, a centrist member of parliament.

Josso, 50, has said she had heart palpitations, nausea and struggled to stand upright, but managed to flee his apartment.

Guerriau, who quit the senate in October last year, is charged with the use and possession of drugs, and with secretly administering a discernment-altering substance to commit a rape or sexual assault. He denies any intention to commit rape or sexual assault. His lawyer has previously said he served the drink by accident.