 "She was held at gunpoint, tied up, and had her mouth taped. Reuters/File Photo")
American reality TV star and businesswoman Kim Kardashian will appear in a Paris court on Tuesday as a witness in a burglary case that took place in 2016.
The case involves a group of elderly men, dubbed the “ grandpa robbers ” by the French press, who are accused of stealing jewellery worth several million euros from Kardashian.
At the time, it was the biggest robbery targeting a single person in France in over two decades and made headlines around the world.
Nearly ten years later, the trial is finally underway, with Kardashian taking the stand herself.
So, what exactly happened during the robbery? Who are the so-called “grandpa robbers”? And how did the incident affect Kardashian on a personal level?
We answer these questions.
Here’s a look:
What happened?
Ten people, nine men and one woman, are facing charges related to the robbery and kidnapping of Kim Kardashian and the concierge at the luxury residence where she was staying on the night of October 2-3.
She was held at gunpoint, tied up, and had her mouth taped.
During what French media have called the “heist of the century”, masked men stole jewellery worth millions of dollars.
Two of the accused allegedly forced the concierge to take them to Kardashian’s suite. He later told police they shouted, “Where’s the rapper’s wife?”
According to Sky News, Kardashian said she had been “dozing” in bed when the men entered her room.
She later said she believed her posts on social media gave the robbers a chance to act.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“I was Snapchatting that I was home, and that everyone was going out,” she said.
In her police statement, according to French weekly Le Journal Du Dimanche, the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star gave a detailed account of the attack.
“They grabbed me and took me into the hallway. They tied me up with plastic cables and taped my hands, then they put tape over my mouth and my legs.”
What was stolen during the heist?
Among the items taken was a diamond ring gifted to Kardashian by her then-husband, rapper Kanye West, valued at 3.5 million euros ($3.9 million).
The thieves also stole a large Louis Vuitton jewellery box, which Kardashian said held “everything I owned”.
In a police report filed with French authorities at around 4.30 am on the night of the robbery, Kardashian listed the stolen items as:
• Two diamond Cartier bracelets
• A necklace with six small diamonds
• Earrings by Yanina
• An iPhone 6 and a BlackBerry
• Three gold necklaces by Jacob
• Various small bracelets, rings and other jewellery
• A diamond necklace by Lauren Schwartz
• Diamond earrings designed by Lauren Schwartz
• A necklace with “Saint” spelt out in diamonds
• A diamond-encrusted cross pendant by Jacob
• A gold and diamond necklace by Jacob
• A yellow gold Rolex watch
• Two yellow gold rings
According to a Sky News report, police were only able to recover the diamond-encrusted cross, which was dropped by the robbers as they fled.
Who are the ‘grandpa robbers’?
The people on trial are mostly men in their 60s and 70s, all with past criminal records.
They are known by underworld names such as “Old Omar” and “Blue Eyes”, nicknames that sound like characters from old French gangster films of the 1960s and 70s.
Aomar Ait Khedache, aged 68, has admitted to tying up Kardashian but denies that he was the one who planned the robbery. Another accused, Yunice Abbas, later wrote a book about what happened.
At first, 12 people were facing trial. Since then, one has died and another cannot take part due to medical reasons, leaving ten people, nine men and one woman, on trial.
Five of them are facing charges of armed robbery and kidnapping:
• Yunice Abbas
• Marc-Alexandre Boyer
• Harminv Ait Khedache
• Didier Dubreucq
• Aomar Ait Khedache
The other five are accused of either helping with the crime or having an illegal weapon:
• François Delaporte
• Gary Madar
• Marc Boyer
• Florus Heroui
• Christiane Glotin
As most of the accused are now elderly and dealing with health problems, and have already served time in custody, all ten are currently out on judicial supervision.
‘Learned to be more private’
The robbery led Kim Kardashian to rethink how she shared her life, both online and offline. Her fame had been built on openness, with her every move followed by millions, but that approach changed.
“I learned to be more private,” she said later. “It’s not worth the risk.”
She stepped up her personal security, bringing in professionals with backgrounds in top-level protective services, including reported former members of the US Secret Service and CIA. She also stopped posting her whereabouts in real time. Expensive gifts and jewellery mostly disappeared from her social media.
Her shift had a wider impact in Hollywood and fashion circles.
Model Gigi Hadid increased her own security in the months that followed. She was seen at Paris fashion shows with several bodyguards.
Kardashian’s sister, Kendall Jenner, also reportedly took extra precautions ahead of the 2016 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in Paris, following tighter safety rules and greater care online.
Publicists and agents started urging their clients to delay social media posts, avoid tagging locations, and think carefully before showing off luxury items.
Kardashian is expected to give evidence starting May 13. The trial is set to continue until May 23.
With inputs from agencies