US reality TV star Kim Kardashian testifies about Paris robbery

Reality TV prima and concern mogul Kim Kardashian has testified earlier a French courtroom astir her acquisition getting robbed astatine gunpoint successful a Paris hotel.

Taking the witnesser basal connected Tuesday, Kardashian confronted the suspects accused of tying her up and taping her rima unopen connected October 3, 2016, portion they stole much than $6m successful jewellery.

The lawsuit concerns a radical of astir a twelve suspects known successful French media arsenic “les papys braqueurs”: the grandpa robbers. The group, galore successful their 60s and 70s, are portion of a transgression ring, according to prosecutors. One has died since the robbery took place, portion the charges against different person been dismissed owed to wellness concerns.

But Kardashian recounted the panic she felt arsenic members of the radical burst into her edifice country aft a nighttime astatine the Paris Fashion Week.

“We were leaving the adjacent morning, truthful I was conscionable packing up,” Kardashian said. “It was astir 3 successful the morning. I heard stomping up the stairs erstwhile I was successful bed.”

She explained that she figured it was her older sister, Kourtney Kardashian, returning to the edifice room. But instead, it was a radical of equipped men, dressed arsenic constabulary officers and wearing balaclavas.

Waving a weapon astatine her, 1 of the men asked her to surrender her $4m engagement ring, a acquisition from her then-husband Kanye West, a rapper present known arsenic Ye.

“Then I heard 1 of the gentlemen forcefully accidental ‘Ring! Ring!’ successful English, with an accent, pointing,” she said.

At 1 point, she said the robbers threw her onto the edifice bed. She was wearing a bathrobe astatine the time.

“I was definite that was the infinitesimal that helium was going to rape me,” Kardashian explained. “I perfectly did deliberation I was going to die.”

Her caput flashed to the thought of her sister coming location to find her body, she added. “I thought astir my sister, thought she would locomotion successful and spot maine changeable dormant and person that representation successful her forever.”

But the robbers proceeded to restrain her with zip ties and duct tape. They told her she would beryllium harmless truthful agelong arsenic she remained quiet.

“I person babies,” Kardashian, a parent of four, remembered thinking. “I person to marque it home. They tin instrumentality everything. I conscionable person to marque it home.”

Eventually, she was locked successful the edifice room’s marble bath portion the robbers made their escape. During her testimony, she explained that the suspects did not bushed her during the attack.

“I was grabbed and dragged into the different country and thrown onto the floor, but wasn’t hit, no,” she said.

Kim Kardashian, centre, leaves a Paris courtroom accompanied by her parent Kris Jenner connected May 13 [Aurelien Morissard/AP Photo]

Eventually, Kardashian said she was capable to usage the bath descend to loosen the restraints connected her hands. She hobbled downstairs, wherever she met with her stylist Simone Harouche, who had locked herself successful a bath 1 level beneath to telephone for assistance during the attack.

“She was beside herself. I’ve ne'er seen her similar that before,” Harouche said of Kardashian. “She conscionable was screaming and kept saying, ‘We request to get retired of here. We request help. What are we going to bash if they travel back?'”

The onslaught prompted the amusement manufacture to follow caller procedures astir information and societal media posts, including done the delayed work of definite images that mightiness assistance robbers place targets and locations.

Some critics, however, blamed Kardashian herself for her luxurious manner and deficiency of on-hand security. The arguable manner decorator Karl Lagerfeld, for instance, was quoted by the Reuters quality bureau arsenic questioning Kardashian’s wont of posting photos of herself connected societal media.

“You cannot show your wealthiness and past beryllium amazed that immoderate radical privation to stock it with you,” the precocious decorator said.

That benignant of commentary has sparked its ain backlash, with immoderate denouncing it arsenic victim-blaming. Still, Judge David De Pas successful Paris asked those progressive if they had not made themselves targets.

“Just due to the fact that a pistillate wears jewellery, that doesn’t marque her a target,” Harouche said. “That’s similar saying that due to the fact that a pistillate wears a abbreviated skirt that she deserves to beryllium raped.”

Kardashian added that she had a bodyguard successful a abstracted hotel. “We assumed that, if we were successful a hotel, it was safe, it was secure,” she said.

She added that she present keeps 5 oregon six guards astir her. She besides blamed the Paris onslaught for prompting a copycat robbery astatine her Los Angeles house.

“I started to get this phobia of going out,” Kardashian said. “This acquisition truly changed everything for us.”

Tuesday’s quality is expected to beryllium the lone clip Kardashian testifies successful the transgression case, which includes 10 defendants: 9 men and 1 woman.

Five of the men look equipped robbery and kidnapping charges that could effect successful beingness imprisonment. Others look lesser charges of being accomplices oregon possessing unauthorised firearms.

Prosecutors accidental the ringleader successful the radical was a 69-year-old antheral named Aomar Ait Khedache, nicknamed “Omar the Old”. He wrote a missive of apology that was work aloud successful the court.

“I bash admit the letter, for sure. I forgive you,” Kardashian replied, looking astatine Khedache. “But it doesn’t alteration the feelings and the trauma and the information that my beingness was everlastingly changed, but I bash admit the letter, convey you.”