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Paris court hands jail sentences to 28 in cyberbullying case

Jail terms ranging from four to 18 months, some of which were suspended, were handed down to 28 people aged between 20 and 49 after they were found guilty by a Paris court of online bullying against Magali Berdah, nicknamed in France as 'the queen of influencers' and who, the court was told, had suffered mental 'consequences' from the harassment.

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Twenty-eight people have been jailed for up to 18 months for the harassment of an influencer in France's largest cyberbullying case to date, reports BBC News.

Judges found the accused guilty of harassing Magali Berdah, spurred on by a campaign by the French rapper Booba against "thieving influencers".

The court in Paris heard that the harassment had "real consequences" to Ms Berdah's mental health.

Booba is facing a separate trail and denies aggravated harassment.

Ms Berdah has built a prominent career in France as a lifestyle and fashion expert, while also marketing other social media stars through her company Shauna Events.

Her lawyers said posts from Booba, real name Élie Yaffa, encouraged a "mob" of people online to send hateful and insulting messages to their client, something Booba denied.

The court said that each of the defendants "made a conscious choice to join in" with the cyberbullying.

The accused, aged between 20 and 49, received jail terms ranging from four to 18 months, some of which were suspended.

Read more of this report from BBC News.