French ex-minister Georges Tron and deputy cleared of ‘threesome rape’ of employees during foot massages
- Georges Tron and Brigitte Gruel were accused by two employees of raping them in Tron’s office after he forced foot massages on them
- The court said no evidence of coercion had been produced by the accusers of Tron, an amateur reflexologist dubbed the ‘Chinese masseur’ by MPs
A French court on Thursday acquitted former government minister Georges Tron of raping two employees as he conducted foot-massaging sessions on them in his office.
Tron, who served as junior minister for the civil service, was forced to resign in 2011 over the allegations made by two women who worked for him at the town hall of the southern Paris suburb of Draveil.
The women accused Tron, who is mayor of Draveil, and his former deputy, Brigitte Gruel, of abusing them during foot reflexology sessions in Tron’s office between 2007 and 2010 that turned into threesomes.
After a four-week trial Tron and Gruel, both aged 61, were acquitted of the charges.
Virginie Ettel, 41, and Eva Loubrieu, 44, testified that they felt powerless to resist being groped and penetrated digitally by Tron because they were afraid of losing their jobs. They said Gruel took part in some of the sessions.