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Ten people nicknamed the “grandpa robbers” by French media have gone on trial charged with stealing jewellery worth millions of euros from the American reality TV star Kim Kardashian when she attended Paris fashion week in 2016.
The suspects, whose ages range from 35 to 78, appeared in a court in the French capital on Monday afternoon at the start of a month-long trial in which Kardashian, 44, will testify in May.
In perhaps the biggest robbery of an individual in France in 20 years, Kardashian was tied up and held hostage at gunpoint in her bedroom by armed men dressed as police officers in the early hours of 3 October 2016. They escaped with up to an estimated €10m in jewellery.
Kardashian, a billionaire celebrity influencer and business owner, later said on her reality TV show that she had feared she would be raped and murdered by the masked gunmen who entered her rented suite in the city centre.
Those on trial are mainly men in their 60s and 70s with previous criminal records and underworld nicknames including Old Omar and Blue Eyes that recall the old-school French bandits of 1960s and 70s film noirs. Prosecutors argue they were armed and dangerous and had carefully planned the crime after meetings in a Paris bar.
At the time of the robbery, Kardashian was without security protection and sitting alone in her bedroom at an exclusive building, known as a “no address” site, where celebrities often rent sumptuous suites.
Her bodyguard had instead accompanied her sister, the fellow 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 18.88-carat diamond engagement ring given to her by her then husband, the rapper Kanye West, which was estimated to be worth $4m. Those details on social media may have facilitated the thieves’ targeting of her.
A group of five armed men, all over the age of 60, are alleged to have arrived by bicycle or on foot and impersonated police officers to enter the building just after 2am.
They allegedly held the concierge at gunpoint and forced him to lead them to Kardashian’s suite, where one man pulled a gun on her.
Kardashian told police that the man spoke in “a very strong French accent” in English, telling her to hand over her diamond engagement ring, shouting: “The ring, the ring.” She was held at gunpoint, her arms and feet were tied and her mouth was taped. The men fled the room in less than 10 minutes after taking the ring and other jewels.
In a 2020 appearance on David Letterman’s Netflix show, she said she thought she was going to be raped and murdered. Kardashian said: “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.’”
The case has sparked vast media coverage and several books about the robbery have been published in France.
Twelve suspects were charged after a long investigation and DNA evidence was found at the scene. One died last month and another is to be tried separately for health reasons.
The 10 people on trial in Paris face charges including armed robbery, membership of a criminal gang, and kidnapping – which refers to Kardashian being held hostage at gunpoint. Some are accused of aiding in the organisation of the robbery. Eight of the accused deny any involvement.
One of them, Yunice Abbas, 71, has admitted his part in the heist, saying he was part of the group who entered the building and he stood guard downstairs.
He told TF1 TV in France on Sunday: “We were all grandads.” He said he had previously served 20 years in prison for robbery, had been out of prison for 10 years and was struggling to make ends meet.
“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 said that, at the time, he had not known who they were robbing. “I was told it was the wife of a rapper. I didn’t ask questions … I see her as a victim; we had nothing against her personally.”
He told Associated Press: “I will apologise. I mean it sincerely.”
Aomar Ait Khedache, known as Old Omar, 68, has also admitted participating in the heist but denies the prosecution’s accusation that he was the ringleader.
Others on trial are accused of being facilitators and informants, including Gary Madar, the brother of Kardashian’s long-serving Paris driver. He is accused of supplying information about her movements. He denies involvement.
Kardashian’s lawyer, Michael Rhodes, has said the reality TV star and entrepreneur wants the trial “to proceed in an orderly fashion, in accordance with French law and with respect for all parties to the case”.
Kardashian is expected to give evidence on 13 May. The trial runs until 23 May.
