Kim Kardashian to testify in Paris armed theft trial – what we find out about $10m heist up to now | EUROtoday

Kim Kardashian will testify in particular person on Tuesday on the trial of her alleged armed robbers who’re accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of {dollars} price of her jewelry.

Bound, gagged, and locked within the rest room of an expensive residence in central Paris, Kim Kardashian feared dying as a gang of robbers rampaged by means of the residence the place she was alone, whereas her bodyguard was out together with her sister, Kourtney.

Ten folks, together with 5 male pensioners, will now face trial practically 9 years after the crime, which passed off as Kardashian, then 35, visited the French capital for its 2016 Fashion Week.

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The defendants face fees together with armed theft, kidnapping, and prison conspiracy. Eight of the ten deny any involvement within the case.

It is believed to be France’s largest theft of a person particular person, with the worth of stolen jewelry reported at practically $10m, together with an 18.88-carat diamond engagement ring gifted by former husband Kanye West price $4m.

How did the heist unfold?

It was on 3 October 2016 when Kardashian was mendacity within the mattress of the posh residence in central Paris, that she heard footsteps pounding up the steps. After calling out, and listening to no response, she knew one thing “wasn’t quite right”, she recalled in an episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians months after the crime.

Two males in police uniforms had handcuffed the concierge and compelled him to allow them to into her residence. “What I’ve heard from talking to him afterward is they said, you know, ‘Where’s the rapper’s wife? Let us up to her room!’ in French,” Kardashian recalled. “He ended up being our interpreter because I couldn’t understand them, they couldn’t understand me.”

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When she was dragged to the hallway on the prime of the steps, Kardashian stated she noticed that the pair had been armed – and started to concern the worst.

“He pulled me toward him at the front of the bed and I thought, ‘OK, this is the moment they’re going to rape me,’” she stated. “I fully mentally prepped myself – and then he didn’t.”

The robber put duct tape around her legs and a gun to her head. She stated: “I just knew that was the moment. They’re just totally going to shoot me in the head. I just prayed that Kourtney’s going to have a normal life after she sees my dead body on the bed.”

Kardashian informed investigators she was taken to a rest room and positioned within the bathtub. Her attackers fled on bicycles or on foot, and he or she freed herself by eradicating the tape.

Who is on trial?

Twelve folks had been initially charged with the theft, however 10 are actually standing trial. One suspect died earlier than the case reached trial and one other, who was declared unable to take part for well being causes, will likely be tried individually.

Aomar Ait Khedache, referred to as “Old Omar”, is alleged to have orchestrated the operation to rob the worldwide megastar. The 68-year-old admits taking part within the heist however denies performing because the group’s ringleader.

Another alleged wrongdoer was Yunice Abbas, a 71-year-old who has admitted his half within the theft and even wrote a memoir about it.

Speaking out in French media forward of the trial, Abbas stated he was a part of the group that entered the constructing and that he stood guard downstairs.

Having served 20 years in jail for theft, Abbas had struggled financially after being out of jail for 10 years.

“I had a proposal for a big job, which would be my last … They told me there was a 20-carat diamond that wasn’t protected … That was tempting,” he informed TF1 TV on Sunday. “I was told it was the wife of a rapper. I didn’t ask questions.”

What has Kardashian stated about trial?

“We can confirm that Ms Kardashian will be testifying in person at the upcoming French criminal trial involving the 2016 incident in which she was bound and robbed at gunpoint by a number of masked assailants,” her lawyer Michael Rhodes stated in an announcement offered to the AP.

The actuality TV star and entrepreneur has ″great appreciation and admiration for the French judicial system″ and ″needs for the trial to proceed in an orderly style in accordance with French regulation and with respect for all events to the case,” the lawyer stated.

In a 2020 look on David Letterman’s Netflix present, Kardashian tearfully recalled: “This is the time I’m going to get raped. I’m like, ‘What is happening? Are we gonna die? Just tell them I have children. I have babies, I have a husband, I have a family.’”