Lionel Agulló, a figure described as a hypnotherapist, coach, and self-styled sexual guru who promoted subconscious release and the overcoming of personal traumas, fled France after a legal case culminated in a six-year prison sentence in November 2021. The court found him guilty of sexually abusing one patient and also held him responsible for another offense involving child pornography. He was then living in Spain when authorities from the Leak Detection Group tracked him down, leading to his arrest in the past week, as reported by Prensa Ibérica and the media outlet CASO ABIERTO.
The French forensic investigation also connected him to a faction referred to as the Living Stones. Agulló, aged 65, was known as a coronavirus skeptic who advocated miracle cures and maintained a residence in an apartment in San Juan de Aznalfarache, a town near Seville. Local authorities had previously linked him to unverified theories about the pandemic, including claims that products derived from cows were involved in the spread of the virus. It was from this environment that investigators traced his movements.
Despite a long period of hiding, the demands of daily life pressed on him, and even gurus must eat. The investigators traced him to a shopping mall where he was captured while shopping.
Sources confirmed that Agulló operated in a manner that avoided drawing attention, waiting for moments when the opportunity arose to act. The police observed him leaving his residence on June 27 and following him to a well-known supermarket chain with French origins, where he was engaged in a routine purchase. It was during this outing that authorities arrested him at the scene.
open political ambitions
Before his flight from justice, Agulló had previously opened a clinic in Perigueux in southern France, presenting himself as an alternative psychotherapist. His public profile included advertisements for a range of services and benefits associated with unconventional practices such as Ericksonian hypnosis, Gestalt therapy, art therapy, and couple therapy. He also positioned himself as a candidate connected to an environmental group and to new age movements in various political campaigns in France.
One of his patients alleged rape, a claim that the court found to be credible. According to that account, Agulló exploited his therapeutic techniques to push past the boundaries of consent. In the aftermath, two additional women testified that they believed they had fallen victim to similar abuse. He was released in France while awaiting trial, but subsequently did not appear in court. He received a six-year prison sentence for the offenses.
Following his escape, French investigators examined his electronic devices and recovered a substantial collection of files containing images that depicted child pornography. This discovery contributed to the severity of the case and reinforced the pursuit of accountability across borders.
A controversial figure on social networks, Agulló used his posts to argue that he was the target of a conspiracy by the French government. His extended absence from public view drew extensive media attention, including reports by regional outlets such as France 3 and Sud Ouest. His last known hiding place was reported to be over a thousand kilometers away from his clinic. Authorities in Spain continued to pursue him with the aim of returning him to France to serve his sentence.