The Versailles Court of Appeal has convicted a 42-year-old woman for attempting to obtain 30.000 euros from the presenter, while he was implicated in another legal proceeding.
The conviction was upheld, but the sentence was slightly modified.
The woman prosecuted for attempting to blackmail Sébastien Cauet was sentenced on Tuesday on appeal to two and a half years in prison, one year of which was suspended, meaning she will serve a full 18 months. The decision was handed down by the Versailles Court of Appeal, which upheld the charge of attempted blackmail against the radio host. In the initial trial at the end of January, the Nanterre Criminal Court had sentenced her to three years in prison, with one and a half years suspended. The overall sentence has therefore been reduced on appeal, but the unsuspended portion remains 18 months.
30.000 euros demanded via SMS
The case rested in particular on messages sent from the defendant's phone. In these text messages, she demanded €30.000 from Sébastien Cauet, at a time when the radio host was already facing accusations of sexual assault. During the appeal hearing, the 42-year-old woman admitted to the acts. She acknowledged having tried to take advantage of the legal situation surrounding the host to extort money from him.
Two separate procedures
This conviction relates solely to the attempted blackmail of Sébastien Cauet. It is legally separate from the other case in which the radio host is under investigation for rape and sexual assault between 1997 and 2014, against four women, three of whom were teenagers at the time of the offenses. The investigation is continuing in Paris.
Sébastien Cauet firmly denies the accusations made against him in this other procedure.
Cauet's defense welcomes a weighty decision
Sébastien Cauet's lawyer welcomed the decision as recognition of her client's status as a victim in this blackmail case. She believes the sentence confirms the seriousness of the charges against the defendant.
For her part, the convicted woman's lawyer considers the sentence too harsh. He points out that his client ultimately admitted to the facts on appeal and believes that the justice system did not sufficiently take into account her personal history or family situation.
