The China Mail - French paparazzi boss handed 18-month suspended sentence for blackmail

Marchand was convicted of extortion over a February 2020 incident in which she told Karine Le Marchand that she had paid an unknown photographer to block the publication of images showing the TV personality's underage daughter leaving police custody.

Le Marchand reimbursed Marchand 1,600 euros ($1,884), but during the trial, the tabloid boss said that she lied -- the photos were taken by one of her own BestImage agency photographers.

"The offences were facilitated by your network, by using your address book to secure favours by any means, showing contempt for the victims and a certain level of pettiness," said the presiding judge during the ruling.

The court said Le Marchand felt "indebted" to the 78-year-old, who made her believe there was a risk of publication, but in reality, the images were unsellable because her daughter was underage at the time.

The 18-month suspended sentence handed down by the court was harsher than the one-year suspended term requested by the prosecution.

A lawyer for Marchand said she would appeal "immediately", arguing she never solicited the payment.

The court fined Marchand 25,000 euros and ordered her to repay Le Marchand, saying it "does not matter" that she had not explicitly demanded the money.

Marchand was also charged in 2021 as part of an investigation into alleged corruption by former French president Nicolas Sarkozy, who has been accused of taking money from former Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

K.Lam--ThChM