A 42-year-old woman admitted to the charges during her appeal trial in Versailles in the attempted blackmail case targeting Sébastien Cauet. She had been sentenced in the first instance, at the end of January, by the Nanterre criminal court, to three years in prison, one and a half years of which were suspended, with an arrest warrant issued.
Text messages at the heart of the case
The case concerns messages sent to the radio host from the defendant's phone. In these text messages, Sébastien Cauet was asked to pay 30,000 euros. The messages were sent while the host was already implicated in a separate case of sexual assault.
During the initial trial, the defendant denied sending the messages. She claimed that another woman had used her phone to contact Sébastien Cauet. On appeal, she ultimately admitted responsibility for sending the messages.
The defense hopes for a reduced sentence.
The defendant's lawyer presents this admission as a partial withdrawal of charges. His client now hopes to obtain a reduced sentence and release on bail. She claims to have acted in a moment of anger and regrets her actions.
The prosecution requested confirmation of the sentence handed down in the first instance. The Court of Appeal's decision was deferred until May 19.
A separate procedure from the investigation targeting Cauet
It's important to remember that this attempted blackmail case is separate from the investigation targeting Sébastien Cauet. The radio host was formally charged in May 2024 with alleged rape and sexual assault. He denies the accusations and is presumed innocent.
