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Malay Mail
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
‘I thought I was going to die,' Kim Kardashian tells Paris robbery trial
PARIS, May 14 — Reality TV star Kim Kardashian told a Paris court yesterday she feared she would be killed by the masked men who robbed her at gunpoint of some US$10 million (RM43 million) of jewellery in her hotel room in 2016, but expressed her forgiveness despite the 'trauma'. The trial of 10 suspects has attracted huge media attention, with close to 500 reporters accredited, and crowds flocking around the courthouse on Paris's historic Ile de la Cite hoping for a glimpse of the celebrity. 'Hi! I'm Kim Kardashian and I just want to thank everyone, especially the French authorities, for allowing me to testify today and tell my truth,' she told the packed court, wearing a black skirt suit and jewelled necklace. 'I came to Paris for Fashion Week and Paris is always a place I love so much,' Kardashian said, giving the court her account of the night of October 2-3, 2016, when she was robbed while staying at an exclusive, discreet hotel in the centre of the city. 'Prayer for my family' She was in her room — 'with my best friend downstairs, my sister and my friend and my mom... all out for the night' — when she heard 'stomping' up the stairs. Then people 'who I assumed were police officers because they were in uniform' entered her room, said Kardashian, who is among the world's most followed people on Instagram and X. 'Then I heard one of the gentlemen say 'ring' a few times over, 'ring', 'ring' and he pointed his finger with an accent,' she said, adding that she didn't at first 'understand it was for my jewellery'. The man found what he was looking for: a diamond ring given to Kardashian by her then-husband, rapper Kanye West, and valued at 3.5 million euros (US$3.9 million). The attackers then began to look for more valuables, threatened Kardashian with a gun and tied her up with a zip tie, she said, visibly emotional. 'I was certain that he was going to shoot me, so I said a prayer for my family.' Asked by the presiding judge if she feared she was going to be killed, Kardashian replied: 'I absolutely did. I thought I was going to die.' She said she also feared she would be raped but the man with the gun 'closed my legs and put a tape on my leg.' 'Absolutely terrifying' Kardashian said she was 'grabbed and dragged into the other room' but not hit by the men. Their sudden appearance and the gun were, however, 'absolutely terrifying'. From comments from one of the men, 'I felt that he wanted me to know that I would be OK if I just shut up,' she said. 'Ultimately I decided not to resist and stay calm. That calmness saved my life.' Those on trial are mainly men in their 60s and 70s with previous criminal records, with nicknames such as 'Old Omar' and 'Blue Eyes'. Sixty-eight-year-old Aomar Ait Khedache, known as 'Old Omar', has admitted to tying up Kardashian but denies being the mastermind of the robbery. Another suspect in the dock, 71-year-old Yunice Abbas, later wrote a book about the heist. 'I forgive you' Khedache, who according to his lawyers is no longer able to speak due to health problems, told Kardashian that he 'regrets' his actions in a letter that was read out in court. He said he had been 'moved and touched by your tears'. Kardashian, who appeared tearful during the reading, said: 'I do appreciate the letter, for sure' and 'I've always believed in the second chance.' She added: 'I forgive you for what has taken place but it does not change the emotion, the feelings, the trauma and the way my life changed.' Kardashian has never viewed her security in the same way since the Paris robbery, she told the court. 'It changed the way that I felt safe at home,' she said, adding she now relied on up to six security guards there. 'We have security everywhere we go,' she said, adding she now longer posts her whereabouts in real time 'unless it is on a public schedule'. Kardashian also said she had undergone therapy to deal with her fears because 'I have babies that I have to raise,' but 'I try to be strong.' Asked about suggestions made at the time that the robbery could have been a publicity stunt or insurance fraud, Kardashian said that those reports had been 'really hurtful'. The US celebrity, sometimes described as being 'famous for being famous', became well known in the early 2000s through TV reality shows, before launching fashion brands and appearing in several films. The trial is scheduled to run until May 23. — AFP
News.com.au
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
'I thought I was going to die,' Kardashian tells Paris robbery trial
Reality TV star Kim Kardashian told a Paris court on Tuesday she feared she would be killed by the masked men who robbed her at gunpoint of some $10 million of jewellery in her hotel room in 2016. The trial of 10 suspects has attracted huge media attention, with close to 500 reporters accredited, and crowds flocking around the courthouse on Paris's historic Ile de la Cite hoping for a glimpse of the celebrity. "Hi! I'm Kim Kardashian and I just want to thank everyone, especially the French authorities, for allowing me to testify today and tell my truth," she told the packed court when she began giving evidence, wearing a black suit. "I came to Paris for Fashion Week and Paris is always a place I love so much," Kardashian said, giving the court her account of the night of October 2-3, 2016, when she was robbed while staying at an exclusive, discreet hotel in central Paris. - 'I said a prayer for my family' - She was in her room -- "with my best friend downstairs, my sister and my friend and my mom... all out for the night" -- when she heard "stomping" up the stairs. Then people "who I assumed were police officers because they were in uniform" entered her room, said Kardashian, who is among the world's most followed people on Instagram and X. "Then I heard one of the gentlemen say 'ring' a few times over, 'ring', 'ring' and he pointed his finger with an accent," she said, adding she didn't at first "understand it was for my jewellery". The man found what he was looking for, a diamond ring given to Kardashian by her then-husband, rapper Kanye West, and valued at 3.5 million euros ($3.9 million). The attackers then began to look for more valuables, threatened Kardashian with a gun and tied her up with a zip tie, she said, visibly emotional. "I was certain that he was going to shoot me so I said a prayer for my family," she said. Asked by the presiding judge if she feared she was going to be killed, Kardashian replied: "I absolutely did. I thought I was going to die." She said she also feared she would be raped but the man with the gun "closed my legs and put a tape on my leg". - 'Absolutely terrifying' - Kardashian side she was "grabbed and dragged into the other room" but not hit by the men. Their sudden appearance and the gun were, however, "absolutely terrifying". From comments from one of the men, "I felt that he wanted me to know that I would be OK if I just shut up". Those on trial are mainly men in their 60s and 70s with previous criminal records. They have underworld nicknames like "Old Omar" and "Blue Eyes" that resemble those of old-school French bandits of 1960s and 1970s films noirs. Sixty-eight-year-old Aomar Ait Khedache, known as "Old Omar", has admitted to tying up Kardashian but denies being the mastermind of the robbery. Another suspect in the dock, 71-year-old Yunice Abbas, later wrote a book about the heist. In it he describes how his bag became caught in the wheel of his escape vehicle, a bicycle, causing him to fall off and have to scramble to shove the loot back in the bag. - 'Changed the way I felt safe' - Investigators said a man called Gary Madar, the brother of Kardashian's driver in Paris, tipped the suspects off that Kardashian was "in French territory". This allegation has been ridiculed by Madar's lawyer, who remarked that 350 million online followers were already aware of the star's whereabouts. Kardashian's bodyguard, Pascal D., rushed back to the hotel after Kardashian tried to call and then failed to pick up her phone. When Pascal D. found her, Kardashian "was in a terrible state. She was crying hysterically", he told the court. Kardashian has never viewed her security in the same way since the Paris robbery, she told the court. "It changed the way that I felt safe at home," she said, adding she now relied on up to six security guards at home. In what she called "a copycat" burglary, her house in Los Angeles was robbed a month after the Paris heist "because they heard it happened in Paris". The US celebrity, sometimes described as being "famous for being famous", became well known in the early 2000s through TV reality shows, before launching fashion brands and appearing in a number of films. The trial is set to end on May 23. mdh-alv-edy-jh/sjw/gil/jm
News24
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News24
‘I thought I was going to die': Kim Kardashian testifies in Paris robbery trial
Kim Kardashian told a Paris court on Tuesday that she feared she was going to be killed during a robbery in 2016. Ten suspects have been on trial over the armed heist, which saw jewellery worth some $10 million stolen from the reality TV star. Kardashian praised French authorities for enabling her to testify and share her emotional account of the traumatic heist. American celebrity Kim Kardashian told a Paris court on Tuesday she feared she was going to be killed by masked men who robbed her at gunpoint of millions of dollars of jewellery during the French capital's fashion week. Ten suspects have been on trial since late April over the armed robbery in 2016, which saw jewellery worth some $10 million stolen from the reality TV star and influencer. 'Hi! I'm Kim Kardashian, and I just want to thank everyone, especially the French authorities, for allowing me to testify today and tell my truth,' she told the packed court as she began giving evidence, wearing a black suit. The trial has attracted huge media attention, with close to 500 reporters accredited, and crowds flocking around the courthouse on Paris's historic Ile de la Cite early Tuesday with fans hoping for a glimpse of the celebrity. 'I came to Paris for Fashion Week, and Paris is always a place I love so much,' Kardashian said as she gave the court her account of the night of 2-3 October 2016, when she was robbed while staying at an exclusive, discreet hotel in central Paris. She was in her hotel room—'with my best friend downstairs, my sister and my friend and my mom, they were all out for the night'—when she heard 'stomping' up the stairs, and people 'who I assumed were police officers because they were in uniform' entered her room. 'Then I heard one of the gentlemen say 'ring' a few times over, 'ring', 'ring' and he pointed his finger with an accent,' she said, adding she didn't at first 'understand it was for my jewellery'. 'I said a prayer for my family' The man then found what he was looking for, a diamond ring given to Kardashian by her then-husband, rapper Kanye West, and valued at 3.5 million euros ($3.9 million). The attackers then began to look for more valuables, threatened Kardashian with a gun and tied her up with a zip tie, she said, visibly emotional. 'I was certain that he was going to shoot me, so I said a prayer for my family,' she said, adding she prayed 'that they will have an OK life after seeing what they saw'. She added: I thought I was going to die. She also feared that she would be raped but the man with the gun 'closed my legs and put a tape on my leg'. In the robbery, dubbed by the French press as the 'heist of the century', the masked men walked away with millions of dollars' worth of jewels. Those on trial are mainly men in their 60s and 70s with previous criminal records. They have underworld nicknames like 'Old Omar' and 'Blue Eyes' that resemble those of old-school French bandits of 1960s and 1970s films noirs. 'Crying hysterically' Sixty-eight-year-old Aomar Ait Khedache, known as 'Old Omar', has admitted to tying up Kardashian but denies being the mastermind behind the robbery. Another suspect in the dock, 71-year-old Yunice Abbas, later wrote a book about the heist. In it, he describes how his bag became caught in the wheel of his escape vehicle, a bicycle, causing him to fall off and scramble to shove the loot back in the bag. Investigators said a man called Gary Madar, the brother of Kardashian's driver in Paris, tipped the suspects off that Kardashian was 'in French territory'. This allegation has been ridiculed by Madar's lawyer, who remarked that 350 million online followers were already aware of the star's whereabouts. The night of the robbery could have gone very differently had Kardashian joined her sister Kourtney and gone clubbing, an idea she entertained before deciding to stay in the hotel, the court heard last week. Her designated driver, Michael Madar—whose company was billing the Kardashian/West couple up to 400 000 euros per year to provide security—had been working nonstop for 21 hours and asked a colleague to replace him for the trip to the nightclub. The replacement, Mohammed Q., and a Kardashian bodyguard, Pascal D., rushed back to the hotel after Kardashian tried to call them and then failed to pick up her phone when they called back. When Pascal D. found her, Kardashian 'was in a terrible state. She was crying hysterically', he told the court. The US celebrity, sometimes described as being 'famous for being famous', became well known in the early 2000s through TV reality shows, before launching fashion brands and appearing in a number of films. She is among the world's most followed people on Instagram and X. She has been named among the 100 most influential people by Time magazine and among the most powerful women by Fortune magazine. The trial is set to end on 23 May.
Malay Mail
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
Kim Kardashian returns to Paris to confront armed robbers nearly a decade after heist
PARIS, May 13 — A-list celebrity Kim Kardashian is to testify in a Paris court on Tuesday, an eagerly awaited appearance nearly a decade after masked men robbed her at gunpoint of millions of dollars of jewellery during the French capital's fashion week. Ten suspects have been on trial since late April over the armed robbery in 2016, which saw jewellery worth some US$10 million (RM43 million) stolen from the reality TV star and influencer. The trial has attracted huge media attention, with close to 500 reporters accredited, and the courthouse on Paris's historic Ile de la Cite is expected to come under siege from fans hoping for a glimpse of the celebrity. Kardashian is ready to 'confront' her Paris attackers, her lawyers said last week. 'She is committed to attending in person,' French lawyers Leonor Hennerick and Jonathan Mattout told AFP last week, saying she would do so 'with dignity and courage'. She is due to take the stand at 2:00 pm (1200 GMT), and is expected to speak to the press afterwards. On the night of October 2-3, 2016, Kardashian, then 35, was robbed while staying at an exclusive, discreet hotel in central Paris. She was threatened with a gun to the head and tied up with her mouth taped. Lawyers have not divulged what exactly Kardashian, who has been keeping abreast of developments at the trial, will say in her court appearance. During what the French press has dubbed the 'heist of the century', masked men walked away with millions of dollars' worth of jewels. They included a diamond ring given to Kardashian by her then-husband, rapper Kanye West, and valued at €3.5 million. The theft was the most valuable to target a private individual in France in 20 years. Those on trial are mainly men in their 60s and 70s with previous criminal records. They have underworld nicknames like 'Old Omar' and 'Blue Eyes' that resemble those of old-school French bandits of 1960s and 1970s films noirs. 'They're quite a team,' said investigator Michel Malecot. 'But they made some mistakes', he said, notably by leaving DNA that allowed investigators to identify them. 'Crying hysterically' Sixty-eight-year-old Aomar Ait Khedache, known as 'Old Omar', has admitted to tying up Kardashian but denies being the mastermind behind the robbery. Another suspect in the dock, 71-year-old Yunice Abbas, later wrote a book about the heist. In it he describes how his bag became caught in the wheel of his escape vehicle, a bicycle, causing him to fall off and have to scramble to shove the loot back in the bag. Investigators said a man called Gary Madar, the brother of Kardashian's driver in Paris, tipped the suspects off that Kardashian was 'in French territory'. This allegation has been ridiculed by Madar's lawyer, who remarked that 350 million online followers were already aware of the star's whereabouts. The night of the robbery could have gone very differently had Kardashian joined her sister Kourtney and gone clubbing, an idea she entertained before deciding to stay in the hotel, the court heard last week. Her designated driver, Michael Madar – whose company was billing the Kardashian/West couple up to 400,000 euros per year to provide security – had been working non-stop for 21 hours and asked a colleague to replace him for the trip to the night club. The replacement, Mohammed Q., and a Kardashian bodyguard, Pascal D., rushed back to the hotel after Kardashian tried to call them and then failed to pick up her phone when they called back. 'I saw that the lift was on the first floor, where Kim was staying,' Pascal D. told the court. When he found her, Kardashian 'was in a terrible state. She was crying hysterically', he told the court. 'I asked what had happened, and she said she'd been robbed.' Kardashian, her lawyers said, 'is genuinely grateful' for the way the French authorities have handled the investigation, showing her 'the utmost respect and consideration'. The US celebrity, sometimes described as being 'famous for being famous', became well known in the early 2000s through TV reality shows, before launching fashion brands and appearing in a number of films. She is among the world's most followed people on Instagram and X. She has been named among the 100 most influential people by Time magazine, and among the most powerful women by Fortune magazine. The trial is set to close on May 23. — AFP
