18 years of criminal imprisonment for Nice resident Jack Sion, guilty of “surprise rapes”

On Wednesday, May 13 at 9 p.m., the appeals court of the Alpes-Maritimes condemned Jack Sion to 18 years imprisonment for so-called “surprise” rapes. The verdict, delivered at the Nice courthouse, ends more than a decade of proceedings and was hailed by the civil parties as an “unexpected but welcome” decision.

The verdict was delivered shortly after 9 p.m. in courtroom 4 of the Nice courthouse, in the presence of the accused, the victims and their lawyers. After several weeks of proceedings, the court found Jack Sion guilty and handed down a heavier sentence than in the first instance.

A case of fake profiles and concealed identity. At the heart of the case, judges and jurors examined an alleged system of identity theft on dating websites. According to the prosecution, Jack Sion allegedly used a fake profile for several years, posing as a man in his thirties named “Anthony Laroche,” in order to contact women before inviting them to his home in Nice.

The complainants described prolonged online exchanges, followed by meetings under particular circumstances, marked notably by the concealment of the accused’s true identity.

Consent at the center of the debate

Throughout the trial, the question of consent crystallized the exchanges between the defense and the civil parties.

The defense contested the accusations, claiming that the relationships were consensual and that the meetings took place freely between adults. The accused’s lawyers pleaded for acquittal.

The civil parties maintained that consent had been obtained through deception, relying on the legal concept of “surprise” rape, particularly when the identity of a sexual partner is concealed.

Proceedings opened since 2014. The case originates from an initial complaint filed in 2014. In total, 24 women became civil parties during the investigation. Investigations also revealed several hundred contacts via dating platforms.

Already convicted in 2021 by the criminal court of the Hérault to eight years imprisonment, Jack Sion was retried on appeal in Nice.

A strong reaction from the civil parties

Following the verdict, the victims’ lawyer hailed a decision “unexpected but welcome,” describing it as an “exemplary sentence.”

He recalled having supported the complainants “from the first day of the complaint before the Nice prosecutor in 2014 until today,” emphasizing the importance of continued support given the length of the proceedings.

A case now closed on appeal. At the end of the hearing, no statement was made by the defense regarding a possible appeal to the Supreme Court. In the corridors of the courthouse, the protagonists gradually left after the hearing was adjourned.

The decision handed down Wednesday evening thus closes the appeals trial of Jack Sion, at the end of a judicial case that will have deeply marked debates surrounding consent and deception in online relationships.

As a reminder, “surprise” rape is a legal qualification applied when a sexual act is obtained without free and informed consent, particularly following deception regarding essential elements such as the identity of the person or the circumstances of the meeting. French courts have already recognized that certain forms of identity theft can fall within this framework, provided they determined the victim’s consent.