Kim Kardashian surprised by age of alleged robbers in Paris jewellery heist
Kim Kardashian was left shocked when she discovered the age of the group of men who are accused of breaking into her Paris hotel and stealing expensive jewels
A group of pensioners who were dubbed the 'grandpa robbers' by French media are currently on trial in Paris charged with stealing Kim Kardashian's expensive jewels during Paris Fashion Week in 2016. The alleged incident left the reality star, now 44, in a state of "serious terror".
It's said a group of armed gunmen burst into the SKIMS founder's hotel suite in 2016. The robbery allegedly saw the group, whose ages range from 35 to 78, bound and gag Kardashian before stealing £7.5 million of jewellery, which was never recovered.
Her engagement ring from her then-husband, Kanye West, was among the items taken in the heist. In court on Tuesday, Kardashian was joined by her mum, Kris Jenner.
Kardashian told the court how she thought one of the alleged robbers who tied her up during the raid appeared to be a father. She said they wanted her to know she would be unharmed if she remained quiet.
She told the court: "The guy who tied me up saw how frantic I was he whispered to me 'shhh'. I felt he was a father. It felt like he wanted me to know I would be ok if I shut up."
The reality TV star went on to admit she was "surprised" at how old the group appeared after she was shown potential images of them by French officials. She said: "I thought they were younger. It was the way he carried me.
"I'm not saying that older people cannot carry, but I was just surprised when I saw the photos of them."
Hotel receptionist, Abderrahmane Ouatiki, 48, who was handcuffed and forced at gunpoint to lead two armed robbers to Kim's hotel room, also told the court on Monday: 'She was terrified, in a state of hysteria.'
Ouatiki said that when the men burst into the star's bedroom Kardashian began screaming that she was a mother. 'She was in serious terror; it was unbearable to see a woman in that type of distress,' he told the Paris court.
Ouatiki, who is Algerian, was working on his own on the night the robbery took place. He was on the reception desk of an exclusive apartment building in the French capital, known as a 'no address' site, where the rich and famous who visit Paris often rented one of its swanky suites.
Ouatiki said that after 2am he saw three masked men 'with police jackets on' approach the glass door to reception and gesture to him to open up. Thinking they were police officers, he opened the door.
He said: "They pushed me to my knees and said: 'We're here for the money'". He then claimed they handcuffed him and held another gun to his neck as they asked: 'Where is the rapper's wife?' He revealed he knew that meant Kim.
He went on to explain his version of the events to the court. Ten suspects, whose ages range from 35 to 78, are on trial until 23 May. Some are accused of aiding in the organisation of the robbery. Eight of the accused deny any involvement.
They include Aomar Aït Khedache, 69, and the alleged ringleader, who has publicly admitted kidnapping and robbing Ms Kardashian.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Evening Standard
6 hours ago
- Evening Standard
Napoleonic prisoner of war camp buried under field bought from farmer
Located near Peterborough, it contains the remains of around 1,770 French, Dutch and German soldiers captured in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars fought between the French and other European nations.
Scottish Sun
9 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
French cops shrug & claim ‘it's difficult' as they stand & watch migrant family almost drown in bid to board small boat
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A FAMILY almost drowned today as they struggled to board a migrant boat — while ten French cops watched from the shore and shrugged: 'It's difficult.'. The mum, dad and young children were among a group of asylum seekers who tried but failed to wade out to the dinghy in time. 5 French cops shrugged their shoulders as they watched migrants pack into boats heading to the UK Credit: Chris Eades 5 One family nearly drowned as they struggled to board the packed dinghy Credit: Chris Eades 5 French cops shrugged their shoulders and said 'it's difficult' Credit: Chris Eades Fighting their way through currents, they returned in silence to the beach in Gravelines, around 15 miles east of Calais. The family, believed to be from Eritrea, finally recovered enough to declare they would try again to clamber on to the estimated £1,200-a-spot 'taxi' to Britain. Just feet away were the cops, watching with binoculars. They wore riot helmets and some carried shields and pepper spray. Asked why they would not intervene when it was clearly so perilous, one officer simply told The Sun: 'It's difficult.' The boat had been launched just before 5am further up the coast, and arrived to pick up the migrants. A waiting crowd then ran out from the sand dunes. French law enforcement have long said it is too risky to act once the boat is in the water — meaning the officers merely watched as the danger unfolded before missing the chance to arrest one of the smugglers. The Sun saw the boat turn up. First a large group of men scrambled aboard, followed by women and families with children. One man appeared barely able to keep his head above water, as he desperately reached from the sea towards the dinghy. Hull residents react to migrants living in iconic hotel Others held on to each other as they fought to keep their kids out of the surf. One cop kept an eye on the inflatable dinghy while four others stood chatting behind him. Another began filming the incident on his phone, while a pal inhaled from a vape. At one stage it appeared the boat was overloaded, with its engine either broken or not powerful enough. But it eventually set off, leaving a group of around ten people without a place. It momentarily paused, giving the desperate migrants a glimmer of hope, but by then the water was already too deep. MAKESHIFT CAMP A suspected smuggler who had steered the boat leapt out and made it to shore — leaving the passengers to negotiate the treacherous crossing alone. He took the group who had missed out back to their makeshift camp, but the police had already left the scene. He became aggressive when approached by The Sun. The family who came close to drowning stayed silent when asked how they were and why they were prepared to take young children on the crossing. They also did not respond when asked if they realised how dangerous the crossing was. But asked if they would try again, a boy believed to be eight or under heartbreakingly admitted 'Yes'. 5 Ten police officers stood on the beach, around 15 miles east of Calais, watching the loading unfold with binoculars Credit: Chris Eades 5 The family also stayed silent when The Sun asked how they felt about missing the boat Credit: Chris Eades Meanwhile another small boat was spotted setting off further down the coast, trailed by a French warship. The two dinghies carried an estimated total of 150 migrants. Photographs from Dover later showed many in life jackets being brought ashore after being intercepted by a UK Border Force patrol. It is unclear if these were the same migrants we saw, or others who set off elsewhere from the France. More than 15,000 people have illegally crossed the Channel this year, figures compiled by the Tories showed. This breaks last year's record of 13,489 arrivals in the first six months. There have also been ten migrant deaths in the Channel this year. Britain is paying France £476million for a deal which is supposed to see border commanders in Calais prevent crossings. But police routinely refuse to do anything once migrants are in the sea. The Sun on Sunday last week told how French police union boss Fabien Vanhemelryck had been branded a hypocrite. 'HYPOCRITE' UNION BOSS It emerged he had called migrants 'scum' and a 'pain' — yet was leading the charge against officers having to intervene. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp MP slammed a 'total loss of border control'. He added: '2025 is the worst year ever for small boat crossings so far. While traffickers and criminal gangs rake in millions, Labour Ministers stand in Westminster rehearsing soundbites.' The Home Office said: 'We have returned nearly 30,000 people with no right to be here and have driven up illegal working arrests by 42 per cent. 'We know more needs to be done with the French to build upon the 10,000 crossing attempts that we have stopped this year, and we are strengthening our cooperation to do this.' They added of the Tory plan to process asylum seekers in a third country: 'The Rwanda plan was not a deterrent. It did not lead to one person being forcibly removed and cost the taxpayer £700million.'
Scottish Sun
16 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Incredible moment Bridgerton star FIGHTS thief who took her phone before tackling him to cafe floor & grabbing it back
THIS is the incredible moment a Bridgerton star fought off a thief who swiped her mobile in a cafe. Zacariah Boulares swiped the device from Genevieve Chenneour as she sat in Joe & The Juice in Kensington, South West London. 7 Zacariah Boulares was captured stealing the star's mobile Credit: Met Police 7 Genevieve Chenneour fought back against the thief Credit: Met Police 7 The star was targeted while sitting in a coffee shop Credit: Instagram The brave actress, who played Clara Livingston in the third season of the Netflix period drama, bravely attempted to stop the teen escaping. Astonishing footage from police shows Genevieve grabbing Boulares' shoulder as she realises her phone has been taken. She then tackles the serial thief to the ground with the help of another customer. Genevieve managed to take her phone back from Boulares before repeatedly hitting him with it in the posh cafe. She previously claimed she suffered a concussion in the horror in February and said even her dog was "traumatised". The star added: "They didn't expect me to stand up for myself – but I did." Algerian national Boulares previously pleaded guilty to stealing the phone. The teen also admitted common assault against fellow Joe and the Juice customer Carlo Kurcishi, who had stepped in to help. Boulares pleaded guilty to a separate charge of theft after he swiped a black leather hand bag from a diner at a pizza restaurant. The court heard he has 12 previous convictions for a total of 28 offences - all relating to theft. His rap sheet includes threatening to cut off Aled Jones' arm while stealing his £17,000 Rolex. The Songs of Praise presenter, 52, was out with his son Lucas when he was targeted near their home in Chiswick, South West London. Boulares - then aged 16 - pulled out 20 inch machete and repeatedly threatened Aled in a bid to steal the luxury timepiece. He told him: "Give me your f***king Rolex or I will cut your arm off." Aled handed over the £17,000 Rolex Daytona watch rather than fight with the armed robber. He and his son bravely followed the 6ft teen but when he spotted them, he snarled: "Walk the other way or I will cut your head off." Boulares was given a two year training and detention order after pleading guilty to robbery at Ealing Youth Court. But he was released from youth detention early after serving just 14 months of his 24-month sentence. He will be sentenced for robbing Genevieve on June 17 at Isleworth Crown Court. As well as Bridgerton, Genevieve appeared in historical film 1242: Gateway To The West. She is also a former professional athlete who represented Team GB at the Baku 2015 European Games in Artistic swimming events. 7 Genevieve tackled the thief to the ground Credit: Met Police 7 The actress appeared in season three of Bridgerton 7 Genevieve claimed she was left with a concussion Credit: Instagram
