Kim Kardashian to testify in trial of gang accused of tying her up and robbing her at gunpoint

‘Are we gonna die?’ – Kardashian to tell court of horrifying ordeal

In 2020, Kardashian told US talk show host David Letterman about the heist in an interview, fighting back tears as she recalled her fears of being raped that night.

“They kept on saying ‘the ring, the ring’,” Kardashian said.

“I kept looking at the concierge,” she continued, referring to the concierge of the exclusive hotel who had been forced at gunpoint to lead the gang to her apartment.

“I was like, ‘Are we gonna die? Just tell them I have children, I have babies … I have to get home’.”

‘GRANDPA GANG’

Yunice Abbas, 71, who is among the 10 suspects standing trial, many in their late 60s or 70s and dubbed “the grandpa gang,” has told French media that he and others who took part in the robbery did not know who Kardashian was. 

“It’s not her, it’s her diamond we targeted,” Abbas told C8 TV a few years ago. Abbas has admitted his participation in the robbery – and wrote a book about his role. In interviews with French media, he said he was sorry for what he did and wanted to apologise to Kardashian.

Frank Berton, a lawyer representing 68-year-old Aomar Ait Khedache, nicknamed “Omar the Old,” said last month he hoped the fact that Kardashian is a global celebritywouldn’t affect the trial. Khedache is accused of being the gang’s ringleader, which he denies.

“This trial attracts international attention because of who the plaintiff, the victim, is,” Berton said. “What we hope is that it won’t change anything in the way the facts are judged.”

In all, nine men and one woman are being tried by the criminal court. Five of them – all men – face armed robbery and kidnapping charges and potentially risk being sentenced to life imprisonment. The others are charged with complicity in the heist or the unauthorised possession of a weapon.

As the robbers escaped on foot or with bicycles, they lost some of the jewellery, including a cross with six diamonds, which a passerby found in the street and brought to the police. But most of the jewels, including the $4 million engagement ring, were never found.