Eight people were declared guilty this Friday by a Paris Court in relation to a bold robbery perpetrated against Kim Kardashian almost a decade ago. This case has captured worldwide attention since Kardashian, often presented as an imposing figure in entertainment and business, was attacked in her luxury residence during the Paris Fashion Week in October 2016.
At 44, Kardashian recalled the chilling incident when he was gagged, tied with plastic tapes and stripped at jewelry pistol valued at millions of dollars.
Among the stolen pieces was a diamond compromise ring, gift from her then husband, with an estimated value in at least 8 million euros (approximately 9 million dollars). However, only a remnant of his precious collection has been recovered; Insurance compensation reached 6 million dollars, Kardashian declared to the court.
The court judged seven men and a woman for charges that vary from direct participation in theft to a lower complicity. The sentences ranged between three and eight years in prison, mostly suspended. The judge, David de PasHe acknowledged that the convictions were quite indulgent, justifying the decision due to the advanced age and health problems of many of the defendants.
“They committed harm,” said Pas, despite the milder penalties. This verdict has raised debate for both its severity and its symbolism in how justice faces high profile crimes.
Nicknamed by the media such as the “grandparents”, this group of tanned criminals, most of them in their sixties and seventy years, is accused of planning one of the robberies of the most bold celebrities in the recent French history.
Of the ten accused, only two have recognized their involvement: Aomar Aït Khedache69, whose DNA was found on the scene, and Yunice Abbas72, who acted as Vigía and later wrote a book about the robbery.
During the trial, Kardashian explained the deep emotional impact and the transformation that the incident had in his life. “I forgave what happened,” he said, but admitted that emotions and trauma continue to mark their existence.
The defense lawyers of the most old defendants asked for clemency, arguing that they did not constitute a future risk for society and that they spent the rest of their days after bars would be unnecessarily cruel given their health status. Among the defendants, Abbas suffered from Parkinson’s Didier Dubreucq, 69, he was absent several times from the court to undergo chemotherapy. One of the alleged involved died, and another was too sick to be judged.
The prosecutor of the case, Anne-Dominique Merville, said that the defendants were not harmless retired, but criminals with extensive criminal careers. He claimed that these “experienced thieves” thoroughly planned the robbery and showed little compassion both towards Kardashian and towards the night watchman who was forced to take them to the apartment.
