Kim Kardashian arrives at Paris court to testify about 2016 heist that changed her life

CTV News

13-05-2025

Kim Kardashian waves as she arrives to testify regarding a robbery of millions of dollars in jewels from her Paris hotel room in 2016, in Paris, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
PARIS — Kim Kardashian has arrived at a Paris courthouse to testify against the men accused of robbing her at gunpoint in 2016, an event that reshaped her life and redefined celebrity security in the age of social media.
This will be the first time she has faced the alleged assailants since that night, when she begged for her life as masked men bound her with zip ties and stole over $6 million in jewelry.
Kardashian's appearance is expected to be the emotional centerpiece of a trial that has captivated France, where the suspects -- mostly in their 60s and 70s -- are nicknamed 'the grandpa robbers.'
Authorities say the group tracked her via her Instagram posts. Two defendants have admitted being at the scene.
Her lawyers say she is ready to confront those who attacked her, with dignity.
Earlier, Kardashian 's childhood friend and then stylist told the court that she heard the celebrity beg for her life during the robbery that transformed the way the world viewed fame in the digital age.
Simone Harouche, who was sharing their two-floor hotel suite during Fashion Week, said she heard a terrified Kardashian yelling: '`I have babies and I need to live.' That is what she kept on saying, `Take everything. I need to live.''
'I was scared that she was raped or violated. I thought the worst,' Harouche said. Kardashian was 'screaming with terror in her voice.'
One of the most recognizable figures on the planet, Kardashian is set to face 10 men accused of orchestrating the heist -- a crime that shook the fashion world and redefined the risks of being visible, female and famous in the Instagram era.
Harouche told the court the trauma 'forever' changed her friend, whom she's known since age 12, robbing her of a basic human right: freedom.
'She now has a completely different lifestyle,' she said. 'In terms of security, she can't go alone, she doesn't go alone to places anymore. To lose your sense of freedom ... it's horrible.'
Kardashian's testimony is expected to recount how the attackers demanded her ring and left her fearing she would never see her children again.
David De Pas, the lead judge, asked Harouche whether Kardashian had made herself a target by posting images of herself with 'jewels of great value.'
'No,' Harouche replied. 'Just because a woman wears jewelry, that doesn't make her a target. That's like saying that because a woman wears a short skirt that she deserves to be raped.'
Twelve suspects were originally charged. One has died. Another was excused due to illness. Most are in their 60s and 70s -- nicknamed les papys braqueurs, or 'the grandpa robbers' -- and authorities describe them as a seasoned and coordinated criminal gang.
Two defendants have admitted being at the scene. The others deny involvement, and one claims he didn't know who Kardashian was. But police say the group tracked her via social media, where she had posted images of her jewelry, her hotel, and her schedule -- exposing her vulnerability.
The heist turned Kardashian into a cautionary tale of hyper-visibility. At the time, she was at the height of her influence -- a style icon, social media pioneer and one of the most photographed women in the world.
Fashion legend Karl Lagerfeld criticized her after the robbery, telling The Associated Press she was 'too public' with her wealth. Yet, as details emerged in the days after the heist, public sentiment shifted. The image of Kardashian -- alone, bound, and pleading for her life -- reframed her in the public eye.
In the aftermath, Kardashian pulled back from the spotlight. She developed severe anxiety and later described symptoms of agoraphobia.
'I hated to go out,' she said in a 2021 interview. 'I didn't want anybody to know where I was ... I just had such anxiety.'
Later, she acknowledged that constant sharing had made her vulnerable: 'People were watching,' she said. 'They knew what I had. They knew where I was.'
Harouche, who hid in a downstairs bathroom during the robbery, said she also suffered trauma. She sought counseling for post-traumatic stress and left the celebrity styling world to become an interior designer.
'That experience was very stressful for me. It made me fearful of being around celebrities,' she said.
Harouche said she went to bed before the robbery. Kardashian entertained friends upstairs. Screams jolted Harouche from her sleep.
From inside the locked bathroom, she texted Kardashian's sister Kourtney and Kardashian's bodyguard that 'something is very wrong,' Harouche testified.
Later, after the robbers had gone, she said she heard Kardashian hopping down the stairs with her ankles still bound to find her.
'She was beside herself,' Harouche said. 'She just was screaming.'
By Thomas Adamson, John Leicester And Nicolas Vaux-montagny