Chat group kingpin goes on trial in Paris over online abuse of underage girls

A 29-year-old man went on trial on Monday at the Paris Assize Court, charged with running a masculinist chat group on the platform Discord on which young victims were forced to engage in sexual acts online and to mutilate themselves. Issued on: 05/10/2026 - 15:14Modified: 05/10/2026 - 15:22 3 min Reading time Rohane Rane, who came to France from India to study at a business school in Antibes, is accused of having been the leader of a group of young men from Germany, New Zealand and the United States who fed on racist and anti-Semitic propoganda as well as Nazi ideology. The trial, which is expected to last until Friday, will be heard behind closed doors despite the objection of the lawyer for five of the American women – now aged 18 to 21 – who are civil parties in the case. "My clients consider it important to raise awareness of the dangers teenage girls face on social media," said Hippolyte Marquetty. But the Paris court agreed to a request from the US authorities. The chief judge said secrecy was required after threats to witnesses and US prosecutors. There might also be publicity harmful to public morals, the judge added. During the trial videos showing scenes of torture and humiliation of the victims – many of whom are under 15 – will be shown. International victims The girls, who come from the US, the Netherlands, Britain and Estonia, communicated via the messaging platform Discord. The activities of the group came to light in November 2020 following a report from the American child protection organisation the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children. It discovered images online of a 12-year-old girl with her upper body bare. Investigators found that a person online was encouraging her to self-harm by carving the name “Rohan” into her body. Arrested in 2021, Rane, admitted his involvement during an initial hearing last March before the criminal court. EU lawmakers demand Brussels force Meta to 'protect' European children Styling himself as a "psychopath devoid of all emotion", he also described himself as a "fascist" and "masculinist". At the centre of the case is a Discord group called "CVLT" or "Cult", which Rane is alleged to have founded. Psychologically fragile girls, who had been identified on Instagram or discussion forums, would be lured into the group. The trap would shut when they were persuaded to send nude photos. They were then threatened with the images being shared with their families or school community ("doxing"). Another tactic used to exert pressure was "swatting" – blackmail involving a false report to trigger a police raid on their homes. 'Warlords' and 'Housewives' Members of the group would then force their victims – often Jewish or Black women, referred to as "slaves" – to perform sexual acts, including with knives, and to self-harm by carving the names of their tormentors or swastikas into their skin. These scenes were accompanied by insults and laughter from the group’s leaders, the "warlords". Nicknamed the "housewives", the victims would be goaded into committing suicide, drinking bleach or strangling themselves with a belt or a lead. Four men convicted of cyberbullying French DJ Olympics performer Before expressing regret, Rane had initially referred to a consensual "role-play". He confessed to his admiration for Nazism, his fascination with macabre and ultra-violent videos, and his hatred of Western feminists. Charged in particular with torture and acts of barbarity against minors, extortion as part of an organised gang, and the distribution of child pornography, Rane faced 20 years in jail. However, in March 2025, the Paris Criminal Court, which was originally due to try him, paved the way for a harsher sentence by ordering that the trial be held before the Assize Court. When aggravating circumstances are found such as extortion as part of an organised gang, a life sentence can be imposed.