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An Australian television host aged 60 has been definitively condemned on Wednesday, January 14 by the Court of Cassation for corruption of minors. Considering this decision “particularly unfair”, he is considering taking the matter to the European justice system.

The Court of Cassation made definitive, on Wednesday, January 14, the conviction of Jean-Marc Morandini for corruption of minors for sexual messages sent to three adolescents between 2009 and 2016, by not admitting the appeal of the host, according to a ruling consulted by AFP and BFMTV.

“After examining both the admissibility of the appeal and the procedural documents, the Court of Cassation notes that there is no means in this case to admit the appeal,” the ruling states, declaring “the appeal not admitted” by the Court.

The 60-year-old television host, currently working on CNews, had his sentence increased on March 21 during his second trial.

The Paris court of appeal had imposed a sentence of two years of suspended imprisonment and a fine of 20,000 euros. The court had also issued a permanent ban on him working in a profession involving contact with minors and confirmed his registration in the sex offenders register.

In this case, he was accused of sending messages to two 15-year-olds in 2013 and 2015-2016, one involving sexual scenarios and the other asking for a nude photo. In 2009, the host had also asked a 16-year-old to undress and masturbate during an audition for a movie remake that never materialized.

Another Cassation ruling awaited

Jean-Marc Morandini “continues his fight for justice and remains on air on CNews,” as stated by the channel in a statement released to AFP after the Court of Cassation’s verdict.

In a separate statement, Jean-Marc Morandini announced that he and his lawyers are now “considering the possibility of appealing to the European Court of Human Rights” following what they consider a “particularly unfair” judicial decision.

In January 2025, this figure in the French audiovisual landscape had already been sentenced on appeal to 18 months of suspended imprisonment for sexual harassment against a young actor, six months more than the sentence handed down in the first instance.

In this case, he was prosecuted for encouraging actors, aged 19 to 26 at the time of the events, to expose themselves naked during auditions for a web series titled “Les Faucons,” of which he was the producer, between June and September 2015. In this other proceeding, the host has also lodged an appeal to the Court of Cassation, which has not yet been examined.