A former French lawmaker has been sentenced to jail after he was found guilty of raping and sexually abusing a staff member at the town hall where he is now a mayor.
Two former municipal employees had accused Georges Tron, a former French government minister,
Two former municipal employees had accused Georges Tron, who claimed to be an expert reflexologist, of making them submit to foot massages that turned into sexual assaults in 2007 and 2010.
He was initially cleared of these charges in 2018, but at an appeal trial this week the jury upheld the accusations from one of the plaintiffs.
The court said in its verdict that the seriousness of the accusations, Tron’s persistent denials, and the pressure exercised on witnesses and victims justified a jail sentence.
Tron’s deputy mayor, Brigitte Gruel, who was accused of aiding and abetting the sex attacks, was handed a suspended two-year prison sentence after being convicted.
Vincent Ollivier, the lawyer for one of the women, declared a victory for “all women who may have problems at their workplace.”
Tron, 63, who persisted before the court of his innocence, lost his cabinet seat in 2011 after the accusations emerged, but was re-elected as the mayor of Travail, south of Paris.
The case continued for 11 years after the court decided to slap him with a five-year prison sentence, two years of which have been suspended. This is more than the punishment the attorney general had requested, which was two years non-suspended term to be served out of jail while wearing an electronic bracelet.
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