Jack Sion, a 74-year-old man from Nice, appeared before the Hérault departmental criminal court. His trial opens on Monday. He is accused of having raped by surprise many women seduced on dating sites.
According to the prosecution, he was posing as Anthony Laroche, a rich thirty-something with the allure of a playboy. The photo was actually from a fashion catalog.
Blindfolded, tied to the bed, in a remake of “50 Shades of Gray”
He would have offered to women he met on the Internet to experience the great thrill by asking them to blindfold themselves before he ties them to the bed, in a remake of the erotic novel 50 Shades of Gray, published in 2011, with strong repercussions at the time of the events. But upon discovering the man who was hiding behind this false profile, several women filed a rape complaint.
The Aix-en-Provence Court of Appeal ordered a dismissal in 2018, considering that “the victims had adhered to the scenario put in place”. A decision overturned by the Court of Cassation, establishing the principle of a rape by surprise to refer the case to the jurisdiction of Montpellier.
The accused is liable to a sentence of 20 years imprisonment.