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A French criminal court has handed suspended prison sentences to two French streamers convicted of inflicting violence on a fellow broadcaster and of inciting hatred against him, in a case that drew attention to the dark side of livestreamed entertainment.

The Nice criminal court found Safine Hamadi and Owen Cenazandotti guilty of inflicting violence on 46-year-old Raphaël Graven – known online as Jean Pormanove – and of incitement to hatred for the insults they directed at him, as reported by BBC World and France 24 in English.

Graven, who had built a large following and more than a million followers across social platforms, died in August 2025 in a village near Nice. His death was broadcast live on the streaming platform Kick. Local media at the time reported that a livestream on 18 August showed the man lying lifeless, according to BBC reporting.

Coverage comparison

Both BBC World and France 24 covered the verdict on the same day, with each putting the suspended sentences and fines at the center of the account. Both reports noted that the court did not charge the two men with manslaughter, and that prosecutors had said the probable causes of death appeared related to Graven's poor health and a fragile heart.

France 24's coverage placed greater emphasis on the wider public reaction, describing the case as having “shocked many in France last summer” and noting that officials called for more regulation and stronger moderation of streaming platforms. It also reported that the French media regulator Arcom and the Paris prosecutor's office opened investigations into Kick.

BBC World, meanwhile, reported that Kick remains under investigation by French authorities. Neither outlet disputed the court's finding on the cause of death, and both reported the fines of €5,000 (£4,283) and €15,000 (£12,848) imposed on Hamada and Cenazandotti respectively.

Key claims

  • Two people were convicted of aggravated violence (BBC World) or of inflicting violence and incitement to hatred (France 24) in connection with the death of Raphaël Graven, known as Jean Pormanove, in August 2025.
  • Hamadi received an 18-month suspended term plus a €5,000 fine; Cenazandotti received a two-year suspended term plus a €15,000 fine, and both were banned from posting on social networks for six months, per France 24, or specifically on Kick per BBC.
  • Neither man was charged with manslaughter. Prosecutors said probable causes of death appeared related to Graven's poor health and a fragile heart.
  • The court also acquitted both men of abusing Graven's psychological frailty, after Graven told investigators earlier that he had consented to the acts, according to Hamadi's lawyers.
  • Hamadi expressed remorse during the trial; his lawyer said the conviction was “mainly symbolic.” Two decisions.
  • Kick, the platform, remains under investigation by French authorities and said in a statement it was not a party to the court proceedings.

Perspectives

The convicted streamers and a lawyer argued that the violence and humiliations were scripted and partly staged, and that Graven had consented to everything. While Hamada acknowledged a share of the responsibility in the court, his lawyer, Tom Michel, told France 24: “The conviction is mostly symbolic.Justified,” adding: “My client acknowledged responsibility and that part of the content they aired was not accepted and could not be consented to.”

Fatih/BBC reports: Kick, the streaming platform, said Wednesday in a statement it was not a party to the proceedings against the two men and had no comment on the outcome, adding: “The ruling relates solely to the two individual content creators.” The platform remains under investigation by French authorities.

France 24 reported that officials called for more regulation and stricter content moderation on fringe streaming sites, and that the audiovisual and digital regulator Arcom, and separately the Paris prosecutor, have opened investigations into Kick’s operation in France.