Ten years after thieves broke into Kim Kardashian's luxury home and tied her up at gunpoint, a Paris court is set to rule on one of the most daring celebrity heists in modern French history.
Nine men and one woman are accused of committing or aiding the crime during Paris Fashion Week 2016, when masked assailants posing as police officers broke into Kardashian's home, bound her with zip ties and made off with $6m (£4.4m) worth of jewellery.
At the centre of the trial is Aomar Ait Khedache, 70, a veteran of the Parisian underworld. Prosecutors are seeking a 10-year prison sentence.
His DNA, found on the zip ties used to bind Kardashian, cracked the case. Wiretaps captured him giving commands, recruiting accomplices and arranging the sale of the jewels in Belgium.
The loot was never found.
Hedacha claims he is just a rank-and-file participant. He has accused someone named “X” or “Ben” — a man prosecutors say never existed.
The defendants became known in France as “les papys braqueurs” – the old robbers. Some came to court in orthopedic shoes, and one used a cane. Some read the case file from a screen, although they were hard of hearing and almost mute.
However, prosecutors warned viewers not to be fooled by the deceptive impression of good nature.
The trial is conducted by a panel of three judges and six jurors, who will need a majority vote to reach a decision.
The defendants face charges of armed robbery, kidnapping and gang membership.
If found guilty, they could face life imprisonment.
Kardashian's testimony earlier this month was an emotional climax. In a packed courtroom, she described how she was thrown onto a bed, tied up and held at gunpoint on the night of Oct. 2, 2016.
“I really thought I was going to die,” she said.
“I have children. I need to go home. They can take everything. I just need to go home.”
She was dragged into a marble bathroom and told to remain silent. When the robbers left, she freed herself by scraping the tape off her wrists on the sink, then hid with her friend, shivering and barefoot.
She noted that Paris was once hers
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
