Norman Thavaud was placed in police custody on Monday December 5 to be questioned about acts of rape and corruption of minors. The videographer emerged free on the evening of December 6, without prosecution at this stage.
Norman Thavaud, French Youtube star with more than 10 million subscribers, was placed in police custody on Monday December 5 for rape and corruption of a minor. He was confronted on Tuesday 6 with four plaintiffs. A total of six women filed a complaint against the known youtubeur and five of them were minors at the time of the events.
His police custody had been extended for 24 hours before being lifted on the evening of December 6; “without prosecution at this stage” indicates the Paris prosecutor’s office. The 35-year-old man was heard as part of a preliminary investigation entrusted to the Brigade for the Protection of Minors (BPM).
According Release, the charges relate to six “potential victims” who were “questioned” and five of whom would accuse him of rape. Two would be minors, according to the newspaper.
A Quebec fan, Maggie D., had publicly accused him in 2020 of having manipulated her to obtain sexual photos and videos. As part of a Quebec-French investigation published by the Urbania media in April 2021, other women had made similar accusations against the youtuber for facts that allegedly occurred while some were still minors. Maggie D. had indicated that she had filed a complaint in Canada. She is currently in France to be confronted with Norman in front of the investigators.
For its part, the Webedia group (AlloCiné, PurePeople, 750g, Jeuxvideo.com…) announced on Twitter “the suspension of its collaboration” with Normand Thavaud. Contacted, the entourage of the Youtubeur was not able to react immediately.
Four years ago, the number one French youtuber, Squeezie (17.6 million subscribers) denounced on Twitter “YouTubers (including those shouting from the rooftops that they are feminists) who take advantage of the psychological vulnerability of young subscribers to obtain sex“. On the social network, charges against Norman had then been broadcast when the hashtag #BalanceTonYoutuber had been created. At the time, the various testimonies could not be verified.
Since the 2010s, Norman has posted dozens of humorous videos on Youtube. He is a pioneer of the “golden generation” of online video platforms with Squeezie and Cyprien. Norman Thavaud made himself known to the general public thanks to content where he caricatures the daily life of mothers or that of cat owners.
In recent years he also mocked social phenomena such as dating applications or social networks. He even performed on stage with a first one-man show in 2015.
Source: AFP
