Former Canal+ television columnist Pierre Ménès has received a final two-month suspended prison sentence for sexual assault after his appeal was declared inadmissible by the Paris Court of Appeal, a judicial source confirmed on Tuesday, September 6.
The 63-year-old sports analyst failed to file his appeal within the required legal timeframe, leading the appellate court to issue an order on August 19 ruling the challenge out of time. Because Ménès did not lodge an appeal with the Court of Cassation, his right of recourse expired and the conviction became final on September 1.
Store Allegations and Paris Court Verdict
The conviction follows a ruling handed down on April 19, 2023, by the Paris Correctional Court, which found Ménès guilty of sexual assault against a saleswoman in a shop on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. The incident took place five years prior to the trial, in 2018.
According to the complainant, Ménès took her hands, interlaced his fingers with hers, and pressed his chest against hers inside the store. She also testified that the broadcast personality pointed at her breasts, commented that they were huge, and walked behind her while rubbing his body and genitals against her buttocks.
During the 2023 trial, Ménès denied all allegations of sexual assault, describing the case file as empty and characterizing the prosecution as a set-up. However, trial judges found that security video footage corroborated the initial physical contact described by one of the store workers.
Sentence Details and Judicial Findings
The presiding judge noted during the reading of the judgment that video evidence confirmed the initial contact between Ménès and the saleswoman. The court determined that significant doubt remained regarding the other alleged acts, preventing a finding of guilt on those remaining claims.
The court imposed the minimum statutory penalty of a two-month suspended prison sentence and decided against entering Ménès into France's automated judicial database of sexual offense perpetrators. Judges also imposed a mandatory supplementary penalty rendering him ineligible to hold public office for one year.
Broadcasting Career and Legal Context
Ménès built a prominent media career as a leading sports journalist and football commentator on Canal+, a major French subscription television network owned by media group Vivendi. For over a decade, he featured prominently on the channel's flagship Sunday evening program, Canal Football Club, prior to his departure from the network.
Under French law, misdemeanor criminal cases such as sexual assault are tried before a correctional court. A suspended prison sentence requires the convicted person to avoid further criminal infractions during a probation period to avoid serving time in custody. Appellate challenges in French criminal procedure must be submitted within strict legal deadlines, after which court rulings become final and enforceable.
