Verdict reached in Kim Kardashian robbery trial
A French court has handed down its verdict over the alleged robbing of $15 million worth of jewellery from reality TV star Kim Kardashian in Paris in 2016.
Entertainment
Don't miss out on the headlines from Entertainment. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A Paris court has handed prison sentences to a gang of robbers who stole A$15 million in jewellery from reality TV star Kim Kardashian in Paris in 2016, although none of the accused are set to return to jail and the verdicts were more lenient than requested by the prosecution.
Describing the heist as “the most terrifying experience of my life”, Kardashian swiftly expressed her gratitude to the French authorities for pursuing “justice”.
Nine men and one woman have been standing trial since April with prosecutors seeking the toughest jail terms -- 10 years -- for the four men accused of carrying out the robbery.
Aomar Ait Khedache, 69, the ringleader, was handed the heaviest sentence of three years in prison plus five years suspended, but due to time served in jail will not return to detention, like all the others convicted.
Two other suspects accused of handing information about the American superstar’s whereabouts were acquitted and all the sentences were substantially lower than the terms demanded by the prosecution.
Kardashian, then 35, was robbed while staying at an exclusive hotel in the French capital on the night of October 2-3, 2016.
She was threatened with a gun to the head and tied up, with her mouth taped. Kardashian said after the verdict she she was “deeply grateful to the French authorities for pursuing justice”.
“The crime was the most terrifying experience of my life, leaving a lasting impact on me and my family,” she said in a statement sent by her lawyers.
“While I’ll never forget what happened, I believe in the power of growth and accountability and pray for healing for all,” she added.
“The sentences are quite lenient; I understand that you understand that you have caused harm,” presiding judge David De Pas told the accused as he read out the verdicts.
He also said “the state of health of the main protagonists ethically prohibits incarcerating anyone. It would have been unjust to take you to prison this evening.” Aomar Ait Khedache had begged to be forgiven in his final statement ahead of sentencing.
Khedache is now virtually mute and completely deaf, and his statement was read out by his lawyer.
Known as “Old Omar”, Khedache has admitted to tying up Kardashian but denies being the robbery mastermind.
“I ask for forgiveness. I can’t find the words. I am very sorry,” he wrote, asking for “a thousand pardons” from his son Harminy, who was convicted for acting as a driver on the night of the heist.
Two other men convicted of carrying out the robbery on the night, Yunice Abbas, 71, and Didier Dubreucq, 69, were sentenced to seven years jail with five suspended. Dubreucq was absent as he is undergoing chemotherapy treatment for cancer.
The fourth member of the robbery gang, Marc-Alexandre Boyer, at 35 the only youngster, was given the same sentence.
Most of the stolen valuables were never recovered, including a diamond ring given to Kardashian by her then-husband, rapper Kanye West.
The ring alone was valued at A$6 million. The robbery was the biggest against a private individual in France in 20 years. Most of the accused are now in their 60s and 70s and have been dubbed the “Grandpa robbers” by French media.
But making the sentencing demands earlier this week, the prosecutor urged the judges and jury to remember that Kardashian was targeted by a violent attack and not to be taken in by the “wrinkles” of the defendants.
The American star testified at the trial, wearing a diamond necklace valued at A$4.6 million, according to its New York-based creator Samer Halimeh.
During the trial, 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 told Khedache, adding that she believed in a “second chance”.
Kardashian, sometimes described as “famous for being famous”, became well known in the early 2000s through TV reality shows, before launching fashion brands and appearing in films.
‘THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE’: KARDASHIAN’S HARROWING ESCAPE
Earlier this week, Kardashian told the court how she “absolutely thought I was going to die” and be raped when she was robbed while naked of her jewels in a a terrifying 2016 heist.
Kardashian bravely spoke before the court while wearing a diamond necklace by Samer Halimeh New York worth A$4.6 million and a A$6.2 million ring.
She bought the jewels as a replacement with her robbery insurance payout along with various other diamond earrings, rings and even an anklet, according to Page Six.
Kardashian spoke through a translator to give her testimony to the French court.
“He grabs my legs and pulls me. I’m naked and my everything is exposed. I was sure that I was going to be raped,” Kardashian told the court.
She added she believed her sister Kourtney, who had gone to a nightclub with their bodyguard, would return to the hotel to find “that I would be dead on the bed, shot dead, and that she should have this memory forever.”
Presiding judge David De Pas asked the 44-year-old if she feared for her life.
“I absolutely thought I was going to die,” she responded.
The Skims shapewear founder was staying at the Hotel de Pourtalès during the brazen robbery.
She told the court she heard “stomping” outside her door before it was opened by a group of men dressed as police who entered along with the concierge, who had been handcuffed.
“I obviously was very confused when they walked in,” Kardashian said, adding she was very confused but began to put the pieces together after the men started pointing at her finger and saying “ring.”
“I said to the concierge, ‘I have babies, tell them, I just have to make it home,’” Kardashian said noting she was “pretty hysterical” as the concierge translated the conversation with the robbers.
Kardashian said the concierge was also terrified and confided her: “I don’t know if we’re going to die.”
The most famous of the Kardashian sisters described how she was bound at the wrists and ankles with zip ties and had her mouth taped up by the thieves before they fled.
After finally succeeding wriggling her hands free, Kardashian said she hopped down the stairs and found her stylist and childhood friend Simone Harouche who was staying on the floor below.
Ms Harouche cut her free and they ran outside and hid in the bushes to call Kardashian’s mother Kris Jenner.
When Paris police really did arrive, Kardashian was still hesitant and recalled “being confused if they were real police because the other guys were dressed as police. I didn’t know who to trust,” she said.
The trial began two weeks ago when 10 suspects finally fronted court over the robbery, which saw some $15 million worth of jewellery stolen from the US celebrity and influencer.
The group, nicknamed the “grandpa robbers” because of their ages, face accusations that they plotted and carried out a brazen robbery against Kardashian in the French capital nearly a decade ago.
Kardashian was bound and gagged during the ordeal, and left Paris hours after the robbery on the night of October 2-3, 2016.
Those on trial are mainly men in their 60s and 70s with previous criminal records and underworld nicknames like “Old Omar” and “Blue Eyes” that recall the old-school French gangsters of 1960s and 1970s films noirs.
‘WE NEED TO DISPEL THIS MYTH OF ROBIN HOOD’
The lawyer for one of the victims of the robber said he was eager to dispel the image of “kind old men” on trial.
“We need to end this myth of friendly, Robin Hood-style pensioners,” said Henri de Beauregard, who represents the night receptionist forced to accompany the robbers.
The nine men and one woman on trial, while charged in connection with the robbery, are not currently in custody.
Kardashian, then 35, was threatened with a gun to the head and tied up with her mouth taped up. The theft was the biggest against a private individual in France in the past 20 years.
The trial will also go into how the perpetrators received the information as to where Kardashian was staying during Paris Fashion Week, and picked the very moment when her bodyguard was absent, accompanying her sister Kourtney to a nightclub.
It is thought Kardashian’s frequent posts about her wealth, personal life and whereabouts may have facilitated the perpetrators’ actions.
Meanwhile, a key suspect in the case has died unexpectedly after reports he received threats from a criminal gang suspected of buying the reality TV star’s jewellery.
Marceau Baum-Gertner, 72, was the alleged “super fence” working with the gang that held up Kardashian at gunpoint in the terrifying 2016 robbery, The Sun reports.
His alleged role meant he would have been responsible for finding buyers for the Kardashian jewellery, which included Kim’s $6 million engagement ring from former husband Kanye West.
Baum-Gertner was found dead in Paris’s 10th arrondissement on March 6 and the cause has not been released.
A source told The Sun: “Mr Baumgertner had been released on bail following his arrest over the Kim Kardashian robbery eight years ago, and was living in Paris, while regularly reporting to police.
“His name was on the defendants’ list for the trial, and he was very enthusiastic about clearing his name in court.
“This was until he died suddenly in the 10th arrondissement of Paris on March 6th.”
The source continued: “He was suspected of liaising with mafia gangs from across the world over the Kardashian jewellery, and criminals are known to have issued threats against him following widespread publicity connected to the case.”
– with AFP
More Coverage
Originally published as Verdict reached in Kim Kardashian robbery trial
‘I beg you darling please’ is a lyric from which Eric Clapton song?
The Chase Australia’s official Shark, Brydon Coverdale, has created a new daily quiz challenge. Test yourself.
Read more
‘Weeping all day’: Ex-wife breaks silence over Hulk Hogan’s death
Hulk Hogan’s ex-wife has opened up about the wrestling legend’s death and shared gut-wrenching details on how she’s coming to terms with his shock loss.
Read more