Gladness Gideon
A French court is expected to deliver its verdict on Friday in the high-profile trial of ten people accused of robbing American reality TV star Kim Kardashian of approximately $10 million worth of jewelry in Paris in 2016.
The defendants — nine men and one woman — have been on trial since April, facing varying charges connected to the brazen heist at a luxury hotel where Kardashian was staying. Prosecutors are seeking the maximum sentence of 10 years for the four men alleged to have carried out the armed robbery.
The verdict is anticipated Friday evening, following closing statements and a final opportunity for the accused to address the court.
The robbery occurred during the night of October 2–3, 2016, when Kardashian, then 35, was held at gunpoint, tied up, and gagged by masked intruders at the Hôtel de Pourtalès in central Paris. The assailants made off with jewelry including a 3.5-million-euro diamond ring gifted to her by her then-husband, rapper Kanye West — a piece that remains unrecovered.
The crime, described as the most significant robbery against a private individual in France in two decades, shocked fans globally and dominated international headlines.
Several of the defendants, now in their 60s and 70s, have been dubbed the “Grandpa robbers” by the French media. Known by nicknames such as “Old Omar” and “Blue Eyes,” they evoke images of characters from classic French crime films.
During the trial, Kardashian took the stand, recalling her harrowing experience and expressing fear that she would be raped or killed. “I thought I was going to die,” she testified, adding that the traumatic incident reshaped her sense of personal safety.
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One of the key defendants, 69-year-old Aomar Ait Khedache — known as “Old Omar” — has admitted to tying Kardashian up but denies masterminding the heist. Deaf and nearly mute, Khedache communicated with the court using a screen.
In an emotional moment, Kardashian told the court she forgave Khedache after hearing a letter of apology from him. “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,” she said.
Another defendant, Yunice Abbas, who authored the book I Kidnapped Kim Kardashian, expressed remorse during the proceedings. Suffering from Parkinson’s disease, Abbas described the robbery as a wake-up call, saying it was “one job too many.”
Defense lawyers urged the court to consider the advanced ages and health conditions of their clients. “At that age, a prison sentence is life imprisonment,” argued Khedache’s attorney.
Kardashian, who has since increased her personal security and completed law school, told the court the experience forever changed her sense of safety. “It changed the way that I felt safe at home,” she said, adding that she now employs up to six security guards.
The trial has attracted intense media attention, with crowds gathering outside the Paris court in hopes of glimpsing the global celebrity, who rose to fame in the early 2000s and now boasts over 350 million followers across social media platforms.