Ten people who spread 'malicious' claims France's First Lady Brigitte Macron was born a man have been found guilty of cyberbullying.

A Paris court handed the defendants suspended prison sentences of up to eight months for the 'particularly degrading and insulting' comments.

Eight men and two women, aged 41 to 65, were accused of posting 'numerous' false claims that President Emmanuel Macron's wife was born a man and linking their 24-year age gap to paedophilia.

Brigitte Macron did not attend the two-day trial in October.

Speaking on TF1 national television yesterday, she said she launched legal proceedings to 'set an example' against harassment - after some of the posts were viewed tens of thousands of times.

Her daughter, Tiphaine Auzière, testified about what she described as the 'deterioration' of her mother's life since the online harassment intensified.

'She cannot ignore the horrible things said about her,' Ms Auzière told the court.

Ms Auzière said the impact had extended to the entire family, including Macron's grandchildren.

Defendant Delphine Jegousse, 51, who is known as Amandine Roy and describes herself as a medium and an author, is considered to have played a major role in spreading the rumour after she released a four-hour video on her YouTube channel in 2021.

She was handed a six-month prison sentence.

The X account of Aurélien Poirson-Atlan, 41, known as Zoé Sagan on social media, was suspended in 2024 after his name was cited in several judicial...

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