Latest news with #ParisTrial
CNN
23-05-2025
- CNN
‘Grandpa robbers' who terrorized Kim Kardashian sentenced to prison, but will walk free
Eight people behind the 2016 multimillion-dollar armed robbery of reality TV star Kim Kardashian in her rental apartment in Paris were found guilty Friday, with some sentenced to prison, after a weekslong trial. The alleged ringleader of the group – nicknamed the 'Grandpa robbers' for the advanced age of several of the accused – Aomar Aït Khedache was sentenced to eight years in prison, five of which were suspended. Seven of his co-defendants were also found guilty of crimes including robbery in an organized gang, kidnapping, sequestration, acquisition and possession of weapons, assisting an armed gang, aggravated theft, and complicity in preparation of a criminal act. Most of them also received prison sentences, portions of which were suspended, but all will walk free due to time already served. Two other defendants were acquitted on charges of complicity, though one was ordered to pay 5,000 euros ($5,682) to the civil parties in the trial, including Kardashian and the concierge of the rental apartment building. 'The sentences are quite lenient; they were thought of a long way away from this serious event, which impacted the civil parties. You have caused harm, even if you did not strike, if blood has not been shed, you have caused fear,' said the presiding judge David De Pas as he handed down the verdict. In a statement released after the trial, Kardashian said she was 'deeply grateful to the French authorities for pursuing justice in this case.' 'The crime was the most terrifying experience of my life, leaving a lasting impact on me and my family. While I'll never forget what happened, I believe in the power of growth and accountability and pray for healing for all. I remain committed to advocating for justice, and promoting a fair legal system,' Kardashian said. Her legal team said, 'Kim appreciates the court's decision and once again thanks the French authorities for treating her with great respect throughout the process. It has been a long journey from that terrible night back in 2016 to her standing courageously in a historic Paris courtroom to confront these criminals. She looks forward to putting this tragic episode behind her, as she continues working to improve the criminal justice system on behalf of victims, the innocent, and the incarcerated seeking to redeem themselves.' The lawyer for Yunice Abbas, one of the defendants who was found guilty and sentenced to seven years in prison, with five suspended, also welcomed the verdict. 'It's a very fair decision, it's a very just decision. (Abbas) is very happy to be back with his family tonight. We're very happy with this decision,' said the lawyer Gabriel Dumenil. Earlier in the trial, the court had heard from Kardashian that she 'absolutely thought' her assailants would kill her. She also recalled fearing rape, as the men manhandled her in the robe she was sleeping in when the armed men burst in. 'I have babies, I have to make it home, I have babies,' Kardashian recalled pleading with the armed men, who had broken into her hotel room while she slept during Paris Fashion Week in 2016. Kardashian was mostly calm during her testimony but was on occasions reduced to tears as she described how the burglary had upended her life and changed how she organizes her security. Of the original 12 suspects, one has since died, and another defendant who has Alzheimer's disease has been ruled unfit to stand trial. Toward the end of Kardashian's testimony, the presiding judge read her a letter from Khedache, the ringleader of the group, apologizing for the trauma he had inflicted. Although he was in the courtroom, the 68-year-old Khedache is partially deaf and unable to speak, his lawyer told CNN before the hearing. 'I want to come to you as a human being and say how much I regret my act,' he wrote. Visibly moved, Kardashian said in her testimony she forgave him, 'but it doesn't change the emotion and the feelings and the trauma.' This is a developing story and will be updated.
CTV News
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
‘I have babies': Kim Kardashian testifies about her terror in Paris robbery trial
Kim Kardashian waves as she arrives to testify regarding a robbery of millions of dollars in jewels from her Paris hotel room in 2016, in Paris, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard) PARIS — Kim Kardashian said a silent prayer -- for her sister, her best friend, her family -- as a masked man pulled her toward him in a Paris hotel room during the 2016 jewelry heist that changed her life. She was wearing only a bathrobe. Her hands were zip-tied. Her mouth was taped. She thought she wouldn't survive. 'I was certain that was the moment that he was going to rape me,' she told a Paris court Tuesday. 'I absolutely did think I was going to die.' When she heard footsteps thundering up the stairs that night, Kardashian said she first thought it was her sister Kourtney and a friend returning from a night out. The noise got louder. 'Hello? Hello? Who is it?' she called out. Moments later, her door flew open. She begged the robbers: 'I have babies,' she said. One replied that she would be OK if she stayed quiet. The last time Kardashian saw the men that police say robbed her, she was bound at gunpoint and locked in a marble bathroom while masked assailants stole more than $6 million in jewelry. On Tuesday, nearly a decade later, she faced them again from the witness stand. Her testimony marked the emotional climax of a trial that has gripped France and reignited global debates about the cost of fame and what it means to live -- and nearly die -- in public. At the time of the robbery, Kardashian was one of the most recognized women on the planet. A fashion icon. A reality star. A billionaire business mogul. She had mastered a new kind of celebrity -- one broadcast in real time, post by post, to millions of followers. But in the early hours of Oct. 3, 2016, that visibility became a weapon against her. The robbery marked a turning point for Kardashian, and for how the world understood vulnerability in the digital age. Dressed in black, Kardashian on Tuesday stood across from her mother, Kris Jenner, in the heavily secured courtroom. Her voice trembled as she thanked French authorities for 'allowing me to share my truth.' She described how the attackers arrived at her hotel disguised as police officers, dragging the concierge upstairs in handcuffs. 'I thought it was some sort of terrorist attack,' she said. They tied her hands, dragged her toward the bathtub and pointed a gun at her temple. One gestured at her diamond ring. 'He said, `Ring! Ring!' and he pointed to his hand,' she recalled. French prosecutors say the assailants -- most in their 60s and 70s -- were part of a seasoned criminal ring that tracked Kardashian's movements through her Instagram posts. Two of the defendants have admitted being at the scene. One claims he didn't know who she was. Twelve suspects were originally charged. One has since died. Another was excused due to illness. The French press dubbed the group les papys braqueurs -- 'the grandpa robbers' -- but prosecutors insist they were no harmless retirees. Kardashian, who once shared nearly every moment of her life online, later acknowledged the dangers of that hyper-visibility. 'People were watching,' she said in a 2021 interview. 'They knew what I had. They knew where I was.' Earlier in the trial, Kardashian's childhood friend and then stylist, Simone Harouche, testified that she had been sleeping downstairs when the robbery began. She heard Kardashian's voice: ''I have babies and I need to live.' That is what she kept on saying, 'Take everything. I need to live.'' Kardashian, she said, was 'screaming with terror in her voice.' Harouche locked herself in the bathroom and texted Kourtney Kardashian and the bodyguard: 'Something is very wrong.' Later, she heard Kardashian hopping down the stairs with her ankles still bound. 'She was beside herself,' Harouche said. 'She just was screaming.' Harouche testified that the robbery 'forever' changed her friend's sense of freedom. 'She now has a completely different lifestyle,' she said. 'In terms of security, she can't go alone, she doesn't go alone to places anymore. To lose your sense of freedom ... it's horrible.' Judge David De Pas asked whether Kardashian had made herself a target by posting photos of herself with 'jewels of great value.' Harouche rejected the premise. 'Just because a woman wears jewelry, that doesn't make her a target,' she said. 'That's like saying that because a woman wears a short skirt that she deserves to be raped.' In the days after the robbery, critics like designer Karl Lagerfeld questioned whether Kardashian had shared too much. But as the details emerged, public sentiment began to shift. In the aftermath, Kardashian withdrew from public life. She developed anxiety and symptoms of agoraphobia. 'I hated to go out,' she said. 'I didn't want anybody to know where I was ... I just had such anxiety.' Kardashian's lawyers say she is 'particularly grateful' to French authorities -- and ready to confront those who attacked her. By Thomas Adamson, John Leicester And Nicolas Vaux-montagny
The Independent
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Kardashian jewellery heist trial live: Kim to testify in $10m ‘Grandpa robbers' case in Paris
Kim Kardashian Paris trial: The 'grandpa gang' in court accused of $10m robbery Bound, gagged, and locked in the bathroom of a luxurious apartment in central Paris, Kim Kardashian feared death as five masked thugs stole millions of dollars worth of her jewellery. In a case which would leave the Californian media personality and businesswoman traumatised for years onwards, a gang of robbers rampaged through the apartment on 3 October 2016, where she was alone while her bodyguard was out with her sister, Kourtney. Ten people, including five male pensioners dubbed the 'Grandpa robbers', will now face trial nearly nine years after the crime, which took place as Kardashian, then 35, visited the French capital for its 2016 Fashion Week. The defendants face charges including armed robbery, kidnapping, and criminal conspiracy. Eight of the 10 deny any involvement in the case, which is seen as France's biggest robbery of an individual person, with the value of stolen jewellery reported at nearly $10m – including an 18.88-carat diamond engagement ring gifted by former husband Kanye West worth $4m. Read the full story of the violent 2016 robbery and its long journey to the courts: The 'grandpa gang' in court accused of $10m Kim Kardashian robbery Kim Kardashian thought she may never see her family again when she was violently robbed in a Paris apartment. Nine years later, she may finally be served justice Alex Croft12 May 2025 17:30 Kim Kardashian to give evidence in Paris robbery trial Global media star Kim Kardashian will give evidence on Tuesday, as part of a high-profile trial concerning the violent robbery of $10 million worth of her jewellery. Ms Kardashian was robbed in a Paris apartment in 2016 during a visit to the French capital's Fashion Week. She was alone after her bodyguard had left the apartment with her sister, Kourtney. Ten people have been facing a trial since late April, eight of whom deny involvement in the robbery. We'll bring you all the latest here when Kim Kardashian takes the stand tomorrow. Alex Croft12 May 2025 15:32
