By Tim Binnall
A French mayor is in hot water with the law after falling under the spell of a self-proclaimed clairvoyant who used her 'powers' to convince him to give jobs to her friends and family. The curious case reportedly began last year when Gilles d'Ettore, mayor of the town of Agde, received a call from the unnamed 'psychic medium' who also resides in the community. According to police, the woman spoke in a "masculine-sounding, calm and husky voice" which gave the impression that she was channeling "a supernatural being from beyond."
Cops say that the call was the first in a series of fantastical conversations with d'Ettore that ultimately led to him believing that the psychic was genuinely "gifted with supernatural powers." When the mayor was sufficiently spellbound by the strange ongoing experience, the 'otherworldly entity' asked him to give jobs to five of the woman's associates and he dutifully complied. At some point, authorities caught wind of the weird situation and began investigating the recent hires. The case culminated last month when d'Ettore was arrested for "illegal interest-taking and corruption."
In a testament to the hold that the 'medium' had over the mayor, he likened her to a daughter when speaking to authorities and, as such, was no doubt crestfallen when they subsequently furnished footage of her voice-changing technique. Despite conceding that he had been duped by the peculiar plot, d'Ettore insists that he has done nothing illegal and seemingly still holds the position of Agde's mayor. For her part, the woman was also taken into custody on suspicion of organized fraud.