French prosecutors have opened an investigation into the Australian streaming platform Kick after an online star died on camera following ‘ten days of torture and humiliation’.
The probe, announced on Tuesday, will examine whether Kick ‘knowingly’ broadcast ‘videos of deliberate attacks on personal integrity,’ Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said, after the death of Raphael Graven.
The 46-year-old Frenchman had appeared in live shows on the platform in which he was abused or humiliated.
In a separate announcement, France‘s minister for digital affairs, Clara Chappaz, said the government would sue the platform for ‘negligence’ over its failure to block ‘dangerous content’.
It comes as the grim studio where live ‘trash’ streamer Jean Pormanove died after being humiliated and tortured live on air for 12 days was revealed.
Set on an industrial estate, nestled between a builder’s merchant and courier firm, the studio was where Pormanove – real name Raphael Graven – spent most of his life including his tragic final hours.
Slapped, punched, spat on, splattered with water and humiliated, the 46-year-old former solider, met a horrific end as his so called ‘friends’ abused him continuously all for clicks and money on the streaming platform Kick.
His heartbroken mother Joselle visited the studio at Drap on the outskirts of Nice late Friday night after travelling 600 miles from Moselle where she lives, with another son and was said to be ‘heartbroken’ after his death sparked worldwide outrage.
Live ‘trash’ streamer Jean Pormanove died after being humiliated and tortured live on air for 12 days
Set on an industrial estate, nestled between a builder’s merchant and courier firm, the studio was where Pormanove – real name Raphael Graven – spent most of his life including his tragic final hours
Flowers have been left outside the studio where JP recorded his projects
Graven – who had more than a million followers on social media and made thousands from his Kick profile – was found dead on August 18 lying under a blanket in the sparely furnished first floor studio.
Two of his fellow streamers Owen Cenazandotti, 26, known by his online name as Narturo and Safine Hamadi, 23, were present during the twelve days of humiliation Graven suffered.
When the Daily Mail visited the studio, floral tributes were on the doorstep and red police tape sealed the doors of the building, an employee at the builder’s merchant said: ‘I saw JP (Graven) and the others every day.
‘They were always in and out of the studio, but I didn’t hear anything the day he died, the first I knew something had happened was when the police and ambulance arrived.
‘The police were in there for two days and then sealed up the doors, since then we have had people coming all the time to leave flowers and cards.’
One message seen by the Daily Mail read: ‘JP, after many years of following you on Kick you are like a father to the rest of the world.
‘After illness, and family issues, it was always good to watch your lives. You will be missed, big strength to your family (Safine and Owen) rest in peace.’
Nice prosecutor Damien Martinelli has launched an investigation into the death, although a postmortem has concluded ‘no third party’ was involved with no ‘traumatic injuries either internally or externally’ and the most likely cause of death was ‘medical or toxicological in origin’.
Floral tributes were left outside Pormanove’s studio following his death
However, since his death, it emerged both men were questioned in January by police in connection with claims they previously ‘tortured’ Graven, but no charges were brought and they denied wrongdoing, while even Graven himself insisted ‘it was all a game’.
He even told investigators he was making 6000 Euro (£5188) a month from the bizarre clips and he was ‘never pressurised into doing anything’.
In the current investigation neither man has been questioned yet by police officially, and both have remained silent – only speaking through their lawyers to again deny any involvement and to stress their innocence.
Cenazandotti’s lawyer, Philippe-Henry Honegger, told the Daily Mail: ‘The autopsy has made it clear no third party was involved in the victim’s death and my client and I cannot stress this enough, he is innocent of any crime.
‘The man who died was his friend, they had been friends for years and they were very close, he has been left devastated by the death of his friend and for the time being will not be making any public comment.
‘My client has had the finger of suspicion pointed at him from all quarters even with the results of the autopsy and he is the victim of a frenzy both politically, and in the media.
‘What happened was terrible and tragic, but you have the results of the autopsy that say he did not die at the hands of a third party.’
Mr Honegger added: ‘My client and his friend (Hamadi) were questioned earlier this year by police and prosecutors after another similar claim was made and again no charges were brought against them.
Interior of the studio where JP died
The studio, now sealed by police, where he filmed his projects
His heartbroken mother Joselle visited the studio at Drap on the outskirts of Nice late Friday night after travelling 600 miles from Moselle where she lives
Local fans laid flowers for the late streamer who was found dead on August 18 lying under a blanket in the sparely furnished first floor studio
When the Daily Mail visited the run-down housing estate of La Condamine where Graven and his friend Owen Cenazandotti lived, a police car was touring the streets, keeping a watchful eye on a gaggle of youths
‘They spoke to the main protagonist, the victim and he stressed that it was all game, it was fiction, and no charges were brought, and they were released.’
Hamadi’s lawyer, Tom Michel, told the Daily Mail: ‘He is deeply upset by the death of his friend but the autopsy exonerates my client from any responsibility for the victim’s death.
‘It shows there was no physical violence and there were no injuries to him, it looks like the most probable cause was either a previous medical condition or some sort of toxicological issue.
‘Everything was consensual, the violence was only simulated, morally it is disturbing but legally at this stage there nothing against my client and he is more than happy to cooperate with the police and authorities.’
He added: ‘Yes, I can see on the face of it morally what is happening in these videos is wrong, but it was all a game, there was nothing serious to it and JP was happy to take part.
‘What we have here is two worlds, the real world and the internet online world and the two have combined and you have to look at the platform Kick which encourages this sort of thing.’
Mr Daly also confirmed to the Daily Mail that Graven’s mother Joselle, had met both men while in Nice and added: ‘She bears no grudges towards them, she knows it was all a game, and they had no direct involvement.
‘I know other elements of the family don’t see it that way but in the eyes of the law my client has not done anything and he would also very much like to attend the funeral of JP when it happens to say goodbye to his friend.’
French media have suggested both men were aware of Graven’s fragile medical condition. Last year he travelled to Turkey for dental treatment, but the procedure was stopped because of a cardiac reaction to the anesthetic.
Two of his fellow streamers Owen Cenazandotti, 26, (pictured) known by his online name as Narturo and Safine Hamadi, 23, were present during the twelve days of humiliation Graven suffered
Hamadi’s lawyer, Tom Michel, told the Daily Mail: ‘He is deeply upset by the death of his friend but the autopsy exonerates my client from any responsibility for the victim’s death. Pictured: Safine Hamadi
Village of Drap, near Nice where Pormanove and Owen Cenazandotti – one of the last men to see him alive – lived
When the Daily Mail visited the studio, floral tributes were on the doorstep and red police tape sealed the doors of the building, an employee at the builder’s merchant said: ‘I saw JP (Graven) and the others every day’
Respected newspaper Liberation said they had found several videos in which both men mock Graven.
In one Hamadi is heard to say: ‘I don’t want that at all (Graven to die) but imagine, in the delirium, we’re laughing and everything and…’
‘He dies?’ interrupts Cenazandotti, with Hamdi replying: ‘In the middle of a live broadcast, yeah…. we’re dead.’
Cenazandotti says: ‘Unless he says on camera, right now, that if he dies on camera during a live broadcast, it’s due to his shirty health, and not us.
‘People will blame us when it’s due to your 46 years of pathetic life.’
Reports said that as many as 15,000 people may have turned in to watch the spectacle on the Australian based Kick platform which was heavily criticised by France’s Minister for Artificial Intelligence, Clara Chappaz.
She described the violence as ‘horrific’ and added: ‘Justice will carry out its task to advance this investigation and clarify the tragic circumstances of Jean Pormanove’s death.’
When the Daily Mail visited the run-down housing estate of La Condamine where Graven and Cenazandotti lived, a police car was touring the streets, keeping a watchful eye on a gaggle of youths.
At Cenazandotti’s house, his uncle spoke to us, giving his name as Olivier, he said: ‘Listen, what I want you and all the others to know is that Owen and Safine had nothing to do with his death.
‘They both loved JP, he was their friend, I knew him as well, he rented the flat next door from me, and we’ve all been hit hard by his death but to blame Owen and Safine is wrong.
‘They were all playing a game and JP knew this, it was all a stunt, there was nothing sinister, the autopsy has showed that, there were no injuries on his body, it looks like he had a medical condition.
Slapped, punched, spat on, splattered with water and humiliated, the 46-year-old former solider, met a horrific end as his so called ‘friends’ abused him continuously all for clicks and money on the streaming platform Kick
Flowers left at the studio where JP recorded his online projects
‘Owen has been in his room all week, he’s in pieces, his eyes and red from crying, he’s known JP for years, they were always together making videos, JP was like a brother to him.’
But although they may well have been seen as ‘brothers’ by family and friends there was certainly nothing fraternal in Graven’s death and French media has questioned rightly the sort of society that watches the humiliation of another merely for clicks.
A hard-hitting editorial in Le Monde said: ‘It questions both the psychological and financial mechanisms that can make the spectacle of sadism popular and lucrative and the means of putting an end to this new form of exploitation of human beings.
‘A tragedy similar to the one that cost him his life must never happen again. Voyeurism and the attraction to degrading spectacles are nothing new.
‘But the wealth of streaming and the anonymity of the Internet increase the risk of abuse tenfold.
‘Jean Pormanove’s death sends a powerful signal of the loss of fundamental reference points and an urgent call to end the irresponsibility of content hosts who thrive on exploiting the dark side of humankind.’
Whether society and the online platforms decides to take a look at itself after the acts, known as trash streaming, remains to be seen
