France jails dozens for cyberbullying 'queen of influencers' Magali Berdah after rapper's campaign against 'thieving' social media stars left her 'within a whisker of throwing herself out of the window'

More than two dozen people who joined an online harassment campaign launched by a rapper against France's 'queen of influencers' have been handed jail terms in the country's largest-ever cyberbullying case.

The defendants aged between 20 and 49 were given sentences of between four and 18 months, half of them suspended, for sending hateful or insulting messages to social media star Magali Berdah.

Each of the 28 people who were sentenced 'knew about the cyberbullying suffered by the victim and made a conscious choice to join in with it,' the Paris court found.

Their actions had 'real consequences' on Berdah's mental health, the judges added, with the mother-of-three revealing to the court that she had come 'within a whisker of throwing (herself) out the window'.

'Finally, I've been recognised as a victim,' the 42-year-old told reporters. 'My life was destroyed for two years because of this,' she said. 'It's a beautiful victory.'

Berdah boasts 1.7 million Instagram followers and is a well-known TV personality in France

Berdah was targeted by rapper Booba, who in 2022 launched a campaign against 'thieving influencers' (Pictured in file image, 2019)

The defendants' actions had 'real consequences' on the mother-of-three's mental health, the court was told

The online abuse Berdah has received included 'threats of rape', 'threats of death', and 'sometimes crude anti-Semitic insults', according to lawyer Rachel-Flore Pardo. 

The influencer was targeted by rapper Booba, who in 2022 launched a campaign against 'thieving influencers' whom he accused of scamming ordinary internet users.

He has been charged with aggravated harassment, but was not among those sentenced on Tuesday.

The court found that the defendants' actions were a result of Booba's posts, Berdah's lawyers said in a statement.

In December, the rapper denied he had put himself at the head of an online 'mob'.

Booba is also notorious for a 2018 brawl at a Paris airport with his former protege Kaaris, for which each received an 18-month suspended sentence.

Tuesday's cyberbullying convictions, which include fines of up to €700 ($760), prove that 'no-one is safe behind their keyboard,' Berdah's lawyer David-Olivier Kaminski told reporters.

The perpetrators also have to jointly come up with €54,000 in compensation for the influencer.

Her lawyers welcomed the verdict in what they described as 'the first part' of the case and said 'the fight goes on'.

Berdah, who has Russian and Ukrainian heritage, works as a talent agent and runs a number of companies

Berdah herself faces trial in Nice in September for bankruptcy and money laundering in a separate case

Berdahm who is Jewish and has Russian and Ukrainian heritage, said that it sends 'a very strong message' that justice will be served in cyberstalking cases, adding that 'it's worth fighting for and we must not give up'.

Berdah boasts 1.7 million Instagram followers and is a well-known TV personality, as well as working as a talent agent and running a number of companies.

The businesswoman herself faces trial in Nice in September for bankruptcy and money laundering in a separate case.

Her company, an influencer agency called Shauna Events, is also being investigated for fraud.

'Nothing can justify cyberbullying, especially not the behaviour of the person targeted,' said her lawyer Pardo.