Kim Kardashian is ready to confront 'gang' accused of robbing her at gun-point in £8.5million Paris jewellery heist as she prepares to testify in court

Daily Mail​

06-05-2025

Kim Kardashian is ready to 'confront' the gang who are accused of tying her up in a £8.5million jewellery heist.
Kardashian, 44, was alone in the penthouse of a £13,500-a-night Paris hotel in October 2016 when two men disguised as policemen burst in and put a gun to her head, spending 49 minutes stealing millions of pounds worth of jewellery.
The traumatised reality TV star was bound and gagged during the ordeal and later fled the country by private jet after speaking to French detectives, telling in recent years how she thought she would be killed by the robbers.
There have been delays in the case being brought to court, with blame being placed on the priority of high-profile terrorist trials, but she is now finally set to give evidence.
The trial began on April 28 and, ahead of Kardashian giving testimony on May 13, her lawyers have told how she is ready to 'confront' those accused of attacking her.
'She is committed to attending in person the trial and to confronting those who attacked her,' her French lawyers Leonor Hennerick and Jonathan Mattout told AFP.
'She will do so with dignity and courage.'
The lawyers, who are representing Kardashian alongside her American counsel Michael Rhodes, declined to comment on the content of her upcoming testimony.
'We want to give everyone the opportunity to hear her testimony in her own words so we won't be commenting on the substance of what she will say,' they added.
They also said that Kardashian 'is genuinely grateful for the way in which the French authorities conducted the investigation that led to the discovery of the persons facing charges in this trial'.
'Throughout the process, the utmost respect and consideration has been given for Ms. Kardashian,' they said.
The raid took place at the height of Paris Fashion Week while Kardashian was still married to rapper Kanye West, and £8.5million worth of jewellery was stolen, including her 18.88 carat diamond engagement ring.
As they fled, one robber dropped a platinum cross adorned with diamonds that was found the next morning.
A career criminal known as 'Old Omar' is accused of masterminding the heist that was France's highest value robbery in a decade and threatened the city's reputation as the ultimate high-class tourism destination.
The advanced age of Omar - real name Aomar Ait Khedache, at 68 - and his right-hand man Yunice Abbas, at 72, has led the gang to be known as the 'Grandpa Robbers'.
Omar's 79-year-old mistress Christiane 'Cathy' Glotin is also accused of helping them launder the gem haul after she was tracked travelling to Europe's diamond capital Antwerp.
Both men have admitted taking part in the robbery as their DNA was found on the ties used to bind Kardashian's hands and feet 'like a saucisson', as it is known in French slang.
While Khedache has admitted to tying up Kardashian, he has disputed claims that he was the mastermind behind the robbery.
In fact, Abbas has even written a book about his involvement, unambiguously entitled: 'I Kidnapped Kim Kardashian.'
However, it is the extent of their involvement – and the part eight others accused played in the organisation of the multi-million-pound heist – that will be determined during the four-week trial.
Gary Madar, the brother of Kardashian's Paris driver, is accused of providing the tip-off that the star would be alone on the night of the robbery as her bodyguard was accompanying her sister Kourtney to a nightclub.
Madar, a celebrity fixer, is alleged to have bragged to Florian 'Flo' Heroui, the owner of a Paris bar frequented by underworld figures, that he could provide details about a 'very rich American' who was coming for Paris Fashion Week.
But in court, Madar's lawyer retorted with: 'The whole world knew sir. She has 350million followers.'
Abbas has admitted he did not know who Kim Kardashian was before the robbery, simply telling the terrified concierge of the Hotel de Pourtales to take him to 'the American rapper's wife'.
Old Omar's son Harminy Ait Khedache, known as 'La Boule' [the ball], is accused of tailing the reality TV star's limousine as she was driven around the city.
Didier Dubreucq, whose nickname is 'Blue Eyes', is accused of being one of the two men who entered Kim's penthouse and put a gun to her head.
Marc-Alexandre Boyer, Marc Boyer and Francois Delaporte are all accused of taking part in the robbery by procuring weapons, vehicles and false identity documents.
However, two men arrested for their part in the heist will not stand trial.
Pierre 'Big Pierrot' Bouianere, 72 - believed to be the robber who dropped the diamond encrusted platinum cross outside the hotel - has been ruled 'unfit' to stand trial as he is suffering from Alzheimer's.
And Marceau Baum-Gertner, a notorious Parisian fence of stolen goods who was originally charged with the 'concealment of gold, jewels and watches' after he was tracked to Antwerp, has died.
A six-member jury will assist three judges to determine the role each defendant played in possibly Paris' most high-profile heist in modern times.
With sentences of up to 20 years in jail expected, many of the 'Grandpa Robbers' are likely to die behind bars if convicted.