Kim Kardashian to testify in Paris armed robbery trial as proceedings get under way
A trial has started in France over the 2016 heist in which armed robbers tied up Kim Kardashian and stole millions of dollars’ worth of jewellery during Paris Fashion Week.
The reality star turned business mogul was targeted during the early hours of 3 October 2016 while staying at the Hotel de Pourtales.
Kardashian is expected to testify in person at the Palais de Justice on 13 May.
The Palais de Justice. Pic: AP
Her lawyers said: “Ms Kardashian is reserving her testimony for the court and jury and does not wish to elaborate further at this time.
“She has great respect and admiration for the French justice system and has been treated with great respect by the French authorities.”
Kim Kardashian’s Paris robbery trial: Everything you need to know
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Kim Kardashian robbery trial explained
The trial began with the selection of the jury of six citizens who will conduct the trial along with three magistrates – a procedure in France reserved for the most serious crimes.
There were initially 12 defendants in the case, but one person has since died and another has a medical condition that prevents their involvement.
Ten people – nine men and one woman – are currently standing trial.
Journalists inside the courthouse on Monday. Pic: AP
Five of the suspects – Yunice Abbas, Aomar Ait Khedache, Harminv Ait Khedache, Didier Dubreucq and Marc-Alexandre Boyer – are facing armed robbery and kidnapping charges.
The remaining five defendants – Gary Madar, Christiane Glotin, Francois Delaporte and Marc Boyer – are charged with complicity in the heist or the unauthorised possession of a weapon.
Two have acknowledged their participation. The others have denied it.
The group has been nicknamed “the grandpa robbers” in local media, owing to some of them being in their 60s and 70s.
The court heard how Kardashian told investigators she was taken to a bathroom and placed in the bathtub. Her attackers fled on bicycles or on foot, and she freed herself by removing the tape.
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
She then rushed to her stylist’s room and called her sister Kourtney.
Kardashian told investigators that she had not been injured. She filed a complaint, adding that she wanted to leave France as soon as possible to be reunited with her children.
According to her testimony and that of the concierge, Abderrahmane Ouatiki, at least one suspect had a handgun with which he threatened the victims.
Lawyer Henri de Beauregard, representing Mr Ouatiki, said the intruders “were experienced, determined criminals who did not hesitate to threaten him while he was working nights to finance his studies”.
Abderrahmane Ouatiki, centre, was working as a hotel receptionist when he was allegedly held at gunpoint during the armed robbery. Pic: Ap
The robbers stole many pieces of jewellery estimated to be worth $6m, including Kardashian’s engagement ring.
Only one piece – a diamond cross on platinum that was lost during the suspects’ escape – has been recovered.
Two of the accused have partially confessed to the crime as their DNA was found at the scene.
Aomar Ait Khedache, 68, is one of two who allegedly entered the apartment.
Defendant Aomar Ait Khedache, left. Pic: AP
Nicknamed “Old Omar,” his genetic profile was found on the tape used to gag Kardashian.
Khedache’s lawyer, Franck Berton, said his client was pleading guilty because he acknowledges his participation and “will apologise, will actually explain how it happened, how he was contacted and finally how the events unfolded”.
Khedache, who is deaf, will answer the court’s questions in writing.
He is said to have left the hotel on a bicycle, as did two others, then reportedly met his son, who was allegedly waiting for him in a parked car at a nearby train station.
Yunice Abbas, 71, admitted tying up the concierge but denied going into Kardashian’s apartment.
He said he acted as a lookout in the ground floor reception area, making sure the escape route was clear.
Defendant Yunice Abbas. Pic: AP
Gabriel Dumenil, Abbas’ lawyer, said his client aims to “deliver his own truth and explain the reasons that prompted him to do this and simply perhaps also ask for forgiveness and express his remorse”.
Abbas was arrested in January 2017 and spent 21 months in prison before being released under judicial supervision.
In 2021, he co-authored a French-language book titled “I Kidnapped Kim Kardashian”.
Didier Dubreucq, 69, known as “Blue Eyes”, is the second alleged robber suspected of entering the apartment.
He denies involvement, although he was filmed by CCTV cameras, and numerous telephone contacts with the other co-defendants show his involvement, according to the investigators.
The other defendants are suspected of providing information about Kardashian’s presence in the property or accused of playing a role in the reset of the jewellery in Antwerp, Belgium.
Entertainment
‘I’m shocked at how fragile I am still’: Cumberbatch and Colman on protecting their sanity from perils of social media
Actor Benedict Cumberbatch says he’s shocked at how “fragile” he still is – despite years in the spotlight and success in the industry.
It might seem like the Doctor Strange star and The Crown actress Olivia Colman have it all when it comes to money and success – but they are also human like the rest of us.
The pair lead the cast of new satirical black comedy The Roses, which sees picture-perfect couple Ivy and Theo Rose – a rising star chef and ambitious architect – raise their two children in California, while chasing their own dreams.
‘I am shocked at how fragile I am’
But behind its dark humour and comic language, the film also looks at the realities of power imbalance, insecurity and wounded pride – in even the strongest of relationships.
And 49-year-old Cumberbatch – whose character faces a major setback in his career – tells Sky News that in real life the glare of social media only intensifies those type of situations.
“I am shocked at how fragile I am still.
“I don’t go anywhere near it [social media] because of that.
“It’s like walking into a place where people want to marry you or kill you. Those extremes.
“I think we will get to a stage, a corporate culture that’s now manifested around it where people are obliged to do that in order to sell their lives, and therefore their brand and what they do for a living.”
Co-star Colman – who’s long-shunned the online world – agrees.
Cumberbatch and Colman in The Roses. Pic: Jaap Buitendijk/ Searchlight Pictures
Read more from Sky News:
Taylor Swift announces engagement to Travis Kelce – and reveals huge ring
Bridgerton creator on ‘bizarre’ criticism – Watch
“I’m afraid I am very thin-skinned.
“I don’t look at any of it. My husband will look at a review and if it’s nice he’ll show me – but if it’s anything mean he knows to just go ‘don’t look – don’t look.’
“You just have to learn to be thicker-skinned.
“But actually, I think we need people who are sensitive and kind.”
‘Don’t do it… delete it all’
Colman – now 51, and whose leading role in The Favourite bagged her an Academy Award in 2019 – says no amount of experience and success can shield her from criticism.
“My advice to a young’un – sort of dipping their toe into the world of social media for the first time is absolutely don’t do it.
“Delete it all. If you want a happy life, don’t have any of it. I’ve never had it.”
The movie – directed by Meet The Parents’ Jay Roach with The Favourite screenwriter Tony McNamara – also calls into question the notion of success – asking, is it really possible to have it all?
Or is sacrifice inevitable when it comes to spinning the plates of a high-flying career, marriage and parenthood?
Cumberbatch admits “you can’t do it all without there being a cost”.
“You just have to weigh up what those balances are,” he adds.
Colman says “there are I suppose little sacrifices along the way” – from both sides of a relationship.
The comedy drama offers a fresh take on Warren Adler’s novel The War Of The Roses – and the 1989 hit film adaptation- starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner.
Colman and Cumberbatch – both producers on the film – insist they weren’t daunted by that though.
“We wanted to find a project to do together, and we have utter respect for the iconic status of the film and book,” explains Cumberbatch.
“Hopefully this will have its own place in the culture – it’s very different, it’s not a remake – it’s a reimagined jumping-on point.”
“But beyond that, it’s very different,” adds Colman.
Former Doctor Who Ncuti Gatwa and Barbie’s Kate McKinnon also form the cast.
The Roses is out in UK cinemas now.
Entertainment
Top Boy and Eddington actor Micheal Ward granted bail as he appears in court on rape charges
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Sports2 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment11 months agoHere are the best electric bikes you can buy at every price level in October 2024