French MEP admits to masturbating in DIY store
The Local - [email protected] •
10 Nov, 2016
Updated Thu 10 Nov 2016 11:07 CEST
French MEP Robert Rochefort has pleaded guilty after he was caught in a hardware store masturbating in front of youngsters.
The 61-year-old politician was arrested for sexual exhibition in late August in Velizy, a town near Paris.
He was reported to police by another customer in the Castorama store who saw the man exposing himself to two teenage girls.
The politician admitted to the incident at the time, telling police that he "needs to masturbate" when "under stress", French media reported at the time.
He later said that he had only made the comments to escape a night in custody, and that he had felt threatened after another customer had tackled him to the floor at the time, according to several reports in the French media.
On Wednesday, Rochefort took to Twitter to say that there was "good news" and that "there would be no further action" in the case.
Dans l'actualité bien grise,une bonne nouvelle:l'affaire me concernant"classée sans suite"par la Justice. Décision attendue qui fait du bien
— Robert Rochefort (@robertrochefort) November 9, 2016
He made no reference of any criminal conviction, but the public prosecutor told AFP that Rochefort had pleaded guilty and accepted his sentence, thereby escaping a public trial.
It remains unclear exactly what sentence Rochefort was given, although Le Monde newspaper reported that it may have just been a fine.
Rochefort, who represents the south west region in the European Parliament, lost his spot as the vice president of the liberal MoDem party due to the scandal.
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The 61-year-old politician was arrested for sexual exhibition in late August in Velizy, a town near Paris.
He was reported to police by another customer in the Castorama store who saw the man exposing himself to two teenage girls.
The politician admitted to the incident at the time, telling police that he "needs to masturbate" when "under stress", French media reported at the time.
He later said that he had only made the comments to escape a night in custody, and that he had felt threatened after another customer had tackled him to the floor at the time, according to several reports in the French media.
On Wednesday, Rochefort took to Twitter to say that there was "good news" and that "there would be no further action" in the case.
Dans l'actualité bien grise,une bonne nouvelle:l'affaire me concernant"classée sans suite"par la Justice. Décision attendue qui fait du bien
— Robert Rochefort (@robertrochefort) November 9, 2016
He made no reference of any criminal conviction, but the public prosecutor told AFP that Rochefort had pleaded guilty and accepted his sentence, thereby escaping a public trial.
It remains unclear exactly what sentence Rochefort was given, although Le Monde newspaper reported that it may have just been a fine.
Rochefort, who represents the south west region in the European Parliament, lost his spot as the vice president of the liberal MoDem party due to the scandal.
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