A human resources director working for a government institution has been accused of drugging more than 200 women in an effort to make them need to urinate at difficult moments during their job interviews.
Sylvie Delezenne was among more than 240 women targeted by Christian Nègre, the HR director at the French Cultural Ministry, according to The Guardian.
A lawsuit filed against Nègre and reviewed by the outlet claims that he slipped a strong, illegal diuretic into coffee or tea that he personally offered to female candidates when they arrived for interviews.
The lawsuit states that after giving them the drugged drink, Nègre would propose taking the interview outside for a walk. He would then intentionally lead the women on long, winding routes far away from bathrooms so that when the sudden urge to urinate struck, they were forced to either endure intense discomfort, relieve themselves in public, or even end up wetting their clothes.
Investigators first became suspicious of Nègre in 2018 when he was reported for trying to take a photo of a senior official’s legs, according to the report. A search of his computer turned up a spreadsheet titled “P Experiments,” which logged dates and times of each drugging as well as notes on how the victims reacted, per local outlet Le Monde. The files also reportedly included photos.
“Under the pretext of a sexual fantasy, this is about power and domination over women’s bodies through humiliation and control,” said Louise Beriot, the attorney representing many of the victims.
Delezenne shared her account with The Guardian, recalling “an increasing need to urinate” after drinking a coffee that had briefly been out of her sight while in Nègre’s possession.
“My hands were trembling, my heart was palpitating, beads of sweat ran down my forehead and I was turning red. I said: ‘I’m going to need a technical break.’ But he kept on walking,” Delezenne said, noting they were already far into their outdoor route.
She was eventually forced to squat in a tunnel underneath a bridge.
“He approached, took off his jacket and said: ‘I’ll shield you.’ I thought that was strange,” Delezenne said.
