Warning: distressing content

An influencer’s death has been live-streamed on an Australian website after months of on-camera abuse and humiliation.

Raphael Graven, a 46-year-old French influencer, died in his sleep on Monday during a live video on Kick — an Australia-registered streaming platform that shares revenue with content creators.

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WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: The tragic death of french streamer Raphael Graven

Graven, who went by the online name Jean Pormanove, regularly appeared in videos on Kick in which co-streamers physically assaulted or humiliated him in front of live viewers.

Prior to the nearly 12-day streaming challenge that ended with his death, he was regularly seen suffering blows, insults, strangulation, dousing with paint and oil and being shot at with a paintball gun.

French prosecutors ordered an autopsy and opened an investigation into the death of the creator in the village of Contes, north of Nice.

Clara Chappaz, junior minister for AI and digital technology, said: “The death of Jean Pormanove and the violence he suffered are absolutely horrific.”

Kick Francais said on X it would cooperate with authorities and was undertaking a review of its French content.

“Our priority is to protect creators and ensure a safer environment on Kick,” it said, adding “all co-streamers who participated in this live broadcast have been banned pending the ongoing investigation”.

Chappaz said a judicial investigation is underway, she had referred the matter to digital and audiovisual communication regulator Arcom and that she had filed a report to Pharos, France‘s internet portal for reporting illicit internet content.

She said she asked Kick for explanations, adding: “the responsibility of online platforms for dissemination of illegal content is not optional: it is the law”.

Yassin Sadouni, a lawyer for one of two co-streamers seen abusing Pormanove, said on BFM television Pormanove had cardiovascular problems and that the violence in the videos was not real but acted.

“All those scenes are just staged, they follow a script,” he said.

It was not clear from the video excerpts if Pormanove voluntarily subjected himself to the violence or was forced to endure it, nor whether the action was real or staged.

If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au.

In an emergency, call 000.