The companion of the famous perfumer Jean-Paul Guerlain, Christina Kragh Michelsen, did not appear, this Monday afternoon, at the criminal court of Versailles (Yvelines) to attend the deliberation of his trial for having abandoned her vulnerable, elderly spouse 84 years old.
"She is alongside Jean-Paul Guerlain, to take care of him," explained his lawyer, Me Frédéric Belot, a few moments before the hearing.
This great 63-year-old Franco-Danish was finally released.
The president of the eighth correctional chamber in particular considered that Christina Kragh Michelsen had indeed "obstructed the care" of Jean-Paul Guerlain, who suffers, according to a recent expert opinion, from a form of Alzheimer's, but that this does not "constitute not the offense of neglect ”.
The court also rejected the accusations of moral harassment brought by a former life assistant of the octogenarian, who had resigned in September 2020 and filed a complaint in the wake.
The court "made law"
In a scathing indictment, the prosecutor Philippe Toccanier had requested, on September 20, a suspended sentence of eighteen months of imprisonment against the defendant, accused of having "totally abandoned" her spouse, "found in a lamentable state of hygiene ”, sitting“ for hours on the sofa ”, on the“ borderline of physical abuse ”. The prosecution had also requested a ban on contact with her spouse.
Me Frédéric Belot said he was "very satisfied" with this decision of the court, which "made law" by "following the legal arguments of the defense".
“These offenses against my client did not hold legally.
It is a reflection which is addressed to the public prosecutor.
This procedure was a coup set up by Stéphane Guerlain (
only son of the perfumer, who had become a civil party)
, whose sole objective was to get my client out of Jean-Paul Guerlain's life, against the latter's will ” , added the lawyer.
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Stéphane Guerlain's counsel, Me Pascal Koerfer, for his part recalled that "the prosecution was at the initiative of this procedure".
He indicated that he was going to “lodge a civil appeal against this decision” (for the compensation component), since only the prosecution can do so in criminal matters.
Contacted, the Versailles prosecutor's office did not respond to our requests.
Stéphane Guerlain accused of "death threats"
Two former life assistants of Jean-Paul Guerlain, appointed by the tutor of the octogenarian, Stéphane Guerlain, affirmed that, for more than a year, the perfumer would have often been left to his fate. They were allegedly prevented by Christina Kragh Michelsen from treating and grooming him. It is moreover the complaint of one of them for “moral harassment” which had provoked the opening of a preliminary investigation, then the referral of the Franco-Danish before the correctional court.
For her part, Christina Kragh Michelsen disputes the accusations.
In return, she summoned Stéphane Guerlain to appear for "insult", "death threats", "willful violence" and "moral harassment".
She notably produced a recording dating from May 20, 2020, in which Jean-Paul Guerlain's only son calls her a "bitch", threatens to "put her head in a haystack" and to attack " his horses ”.
For this component, the hearing will take place on January 17 before the Versailles Criminal Court.