Latest news with #grandparobbers
ABC News
23-05-2025
- ABC News
Eight found guilty in Kim Kardashian Paris robbery trial
A Paris court has found eight people guilty over the violent armed robbery of Kim Kardashian in 2016. The reality TV star was tied up at gunpoint in her Paris hotel and robbed of $13 million worth of jewellery. Ten people were on trial for playing a role in the burglary. They faced a variety of charges including armed robbery and "kidnap in an organised gang". The court acquitted two of the 10 defendants. Ringleader Aomar Ait Khedache, also known as "Omar the Old", was handed the longest sentence — eight years' jail, with five years suspended. The case has gathered international attention, with the burglars claiming they were initially unaware of who Kardashian was. They became known as the "grandpa robbers" as most of them were aged in their 60s and 70s. But during her closing argument, the prosecutor slammed that nickname as an "insult". She instead described them as seasoned armed robbers with links to organised crime. Kardashian — who testified that she thought she would die during the ordeal — was not at the court to hear the verdict.
The Guardian
23-05-2025
- The Guardian
Four men guilty of Kim Kardashian jewellery heist in Paris
Four men have been found guilty of breaking into a luxury residence in Paris and stealing jewellery worth millions of euros from the American reality TV star Kim Kardashian when she attended fashion week in 2016. Three pensioners and one man in his 30s were convicted of carrying out the armed heist, which was thought to be the biggest robbery of an individual in France in 20 years. Four other people were found guilty of assisting in the plot or related charges. Two people were acquitted of accusations they handed out information about Kardashian's whereabouts. The armed, masked men who were dressed in police jackets, arrived by bike or on foot just before 3am on 3 October 2016 at Kardashian's exclusive building near Paris's Place de la Concorde, known as a 'no address' site, where celebrities often rent sumptuous suites. They held a receptionist at gunpoint and then went up to Kardashian's room where they held her hostage with a gun, tying her hands and feet and taping her mouth. They escaped with jewellery worth up to an estimated €10m. The jewels, which were never found, included a 18.88-carat diamond engagement ring given to Kardashian by her then husband, the rapper Kanye West, estimated to be worth £3m. The leaders of the gang, aged in their 60s and 70s, were nicknamed the 'grandpa robbers' by French media. But the state prosecutor, Anne-Dominique Merville, had told jurors not to be fooled by their age or 'reassuring wrinkles', saying they were seasoned criminals with long track records and previous prison sentences. Aomar Aït Khedache, 68, a retired restaurant owner alleged to have masterminded the robbery, was handed the heaviest sentence of three years in prison plus five years suspended, but due to time already served in jail he will not return to detention. For the same reason, none of the convicted men were sent to prison. The court heard Aït Kadeche ''gave orders', recruited others and travelled to Belgium to sell the jewellery. He is now deaf and cannot speak, so he read the court's questions on a typed transcript, writing his answers with a pen and paper, projected on to a screen. 'I ask for forgiveness. I can't find the words. I am very sorry,' he wrote as the trial ended. Didier Dubreucq, 69, was found guilty as well as Yunice Abbas, 71, who admitted to arriving at the scene with two accomplices on bicycles to 'keep watch'. Abbas had told the court: 'All I have to offer you is regret. I'm sorry.' Marc-Alexandre Boyer, the youngest member of the group, now in his 30s, was also convicted. In a statement after the verdict, Kardashian said she was 'satisfied' with the verdict, adding that she was 'deeply grateful to the French authorities for pursuing justice.' More details soon…
The Guardian
23-05-2025
- The Guardian
Paris court to reach verdict in Kim Kardashian jewellery theft trial
A Paris court will reach a verdict on Friday in the trial of 10 people alleged to have been involved in the theft of jewellery worth millions of euros from the American reality TV star Kim Kardashian when she attended Paris fashion week in 2016. Three pensioners and a man in his 30s are accused of breaking into a luxury residence in Paris, where they tied up Kardashian and held her hostage at gunpoint in her bedroom in the early hours of 3 October 2016. The armed, masked men, who were dressed in police jackets, escaped with jewellery worth up to an estimated €10m. The jewels, which were never found, included a 18.88-carat diamond engagement ring given to Kardashian by her then husband, the rapper Kanye West, estimated to be worth £3m. The leaders of the gang, aged in their 60s and 70s, were nicknamed the 'grandpa robbers' by French media. They arrived by bike or on foot at the smart residence in central Paris and held a receptionist at gunpoint before going up to Kardashian's room, where she had been sleeping. They tied her up and taped her mouth, and left her on the bathroom floor before escaping. The state prosecutor, Anne-Dominique Merville, told jurors this week not to be fooled by the men's age. She said they were seasoned criminals with previous records and prison sentences. Merville said: 'They were masked, wearing gloves, they were going to hold her and tie her up. They have no empathy for Kim Kardashian, for the receptionist.' Merville said jurors, who are sitting with a panel of judges, should not to be taken in by 'the reassuring wrinkles' of the accused and should remember they were charged with involvement in a violent crime. She called it a 'meticulously prepared' robbery, where 'thieves' were recruited. She said: 'They came for the ring, they got it, they knew exactly what they were doing.' The state prosecutor suggested that the judge and jury should return a guilty verdict and 10-year prison sentence for Aomar Aït Khedache, 68, a retired restaurant owner, who she said was the mastermind of the robbery. She said he ''gave orders', recruited others and travelled to Belgium to sell the jewellery. He admitted involvement but denied being the mastermind. She suggested 10-year prison sentences should be given to Didier Dubreucq, 69, who is also alleged to have gone to Kardashian's bedroom but denies the charges, as well as Yunice Abbas, 71, who wrote a book about the robbery and admitted to arriving at the scene with two accomplices on bicycles to 'keep watch'. The state prosecutor also recommended a 10-year-sentence for Marc-Alexandre Boyer, the youngest member of the group, now in his thirties, who she said posed 'a risk of reoffending'. Five other men and one woman are accused of taking part in planning or aiding the plot. The state prosecutor earlier this week recommended seven-year sentences for Gary Madar – the brother of Kardashian's chauffeur – and his friend Florus Heroui, who it was alleged in court obtained and shared information about Kardashian's schedule in Paris. They denied the charges. She recommended eight years for Khedache's son, Harminy, accused of being the driver on the evening of the robbery. He denied the charges. The only woman on trial was Cathy Glotin, described in court as a 'respectable grandmother involved in charity work' but who also 'knew delinquency and had no qualms about taking part in criminal acts'. She was accused by the prosecution of arranging the meetings between her partner Khedache and the accomplices. She denied the charges. The state prosecutor recommended a six-year sentence. Sign up to Headlines Europe A digest of the morning's main headlines from the Europe edition emailed direct to you every week day after newsletter promotion The heist was thought to be the biggest robbery of an individual in France in 20 years. Kardashian, a billionaire celebrity influencer and business owner who is now a criminal justice advocate in the US, attended the trial in Paris, telling the court she had feared she would be raped and murdered by the masked gunmen who entered her rented suite in the city centre. At the time of the robbery, Kardashian was without security protection and was alone in her bedroom in an exclusive building, known as a 'no address' site, where celebrities often rent sumptuous suites. Her bodyguard had instead accompanied her sister, the reality TV star Kourtney Kardashian, to a Paris nightclub after the sisters had spent the day at fashion shows being photographed. At that time, Kardashian routinely posted most of her daily movements and whereabouts on social media, where she also displayed her jewellery, including a large diamond engagement ring. Those details on social media may have facilitated the thieves' targeting of her. She told the court her life had changed. 'It changed the way that I felt safe at home,' she said, adding that she now had up to six security guards there. 'We never felt that we were unsafe before this. This experience changed everything.' In court, some of the men apologised to Kardashian. Kardashian said to Khedache in court: 'I forgive you for what has taken place but it does not change the emotion, the feelings, the trauma and the way my life is forever changed.' The verdict is expected on Friday night.
Telegraph
13-05-2025
- Telegraph
Kim Kardashian arrives at court to face ‘robbers who stole $9m of jewellery'
Kim Kardashian has arrived at court in Paris as she prepares to take the stand against a gang of 'grandpa robbers' who allegedly stole $9m of jewellery at gunpoint. Ms Kardashian, 44, was bound up with zip ties and held at gunpoint in a luxury hotel suite during Paris Fashion Week in October 2016. Court officials have warned large crowds will likely gather around the courtroom in Paris, where Kardashian is expected to give emotional testimony of the incident later today. The 44-year-old said she developed anxiety following the ordeal, leaving her unable to leave the house. 'I hated to go out,' she said in 2021. 'I didn't want anybody to know where I was - I just had such anxiety.' A source close to the media personality said she was 'nervous' to testify but that it was her choice to do so. 'Kim's a bit nervous, but she always said that she wanted to testify in person,' an insider close to the media personality told People. 'This is her choice. 'She was terrified for her life during the robbery. She wants the people involved convicted.' Twelve suspects were initially charged, though one died, while another was excused from proceedings due to illness. The remaining men on trial are in the 60s and 70s, earning the title 'grandpa robbers' by the French media.
