A third fact led the CNews host to the criminal court: a casting at his home in 2009 during which he allegedly asked a 16-year-old to undress and masturbate.
Faced with these accusations, Jean-Marc Morandini, 57, pleads in turn «clumsiness», «humor» or «recklessness», claims not to remember the casting episode and denies having committed the slightest offense.
«We are in the virtual, for me there is no desire to meet», he summarizes, dark suit on white shirt, rejecting any «particular attraction» for minors.
The court first looks at the messages exchanged in 2013 with Romuald (first name changed). This 15-year-old is a fan of the host, who then worked on NRJ 12, and contacted him on Twitter after attending one of his shows.
After innocuous exchanges, Mr. Morandini directs the conversation towards the sexual practices of the teenager, whose age he says he does not know: «Mdr you are so naughty behind your wise air», «do you have a hard-on?». The messages read at the hearing leave no room for ambiguity.
The facilitator assumes this «game of seduction». «These are very open exchanges because sexuality is not taboo».
The president, however, is surprised at the signs neglected by the defendant, in particular when Romuald interrupts a conversation because his «mother has to make him recite his (lesson) history».
Mr. Morandini assures him however: he did not know the age of Romuald, who has since withdrawn his complaint, and ceased «immediately» any exchange when he was informed.
The host must, however, admit that he knew the minority of Simon (first name changed), another 15-year-old with whom he conversed on Twitter in 2015-2016 and whom he asked, in vain for months, to send him a photo of him naked.
– «We were in humor», tries the defendant at the bar.
– «He is 15 years old, Mr. Morandini», is surprised the president Alice Perego.
– «That doesn’t prevent you from having a sense of humor», he replies.
At the helm, the plaintiff has a completely different memory.
«At no time was it humor. I asked him to stop», says the young man with thin glasses, who however says he was reluctant to stop the exchanges with the host of whom he was «very fan «.
«I wanted to work in the media, it was the only door I had to be able to attend a show,» he said, adding that he was still «under medication to be able to sleep normally».
Then comes the case of Clément (first name changed). In 2009, this 16-year-old teenager is registered on a casting site and receives an email from a certain Claire, a pseudonym behind which Jean-Marc Morandini hides.
He is then dangled for a role in a remake of «Ken Park», a film which depicts very crude sexual relations between adolescents, and Clément goes to Mr. Morandini’s home.
According to his story, the host makes him watch very explicit passages of the film, leads him to undress in front of his lens and asks him to masturbate, which he will refuse before slamming the door. «It traumatized me,» he says.
Mr. Morandini claims to have kept no memory of this episode and contests. «It couldn’t have happened like that.»
One of the civil parties notes that other aspiring actors participated in this casting – a «fortnight», admits Mr. Morandini – for a film which never saw the light of day.
«If they wanted to masturbate, they could do it. I don’t think it’s illegal.»
«It’s not illegal for adults,» replies the president.