Kim Kardashian to appear in court as witness in Paris burglary case

Kim Kardashian is owed to look successful tribunal successful Paris aboriginal contiguous arsenic a witnesser successful a burglary lawsuit dating backmost to 2016, erstwhile she was held up astatine gunpoint and had millions of dollars' worthy of jewellery taken from her.

The world TV prima and concern woman, 44, is expected to instrumentality the basal successful the day to springiness her mentation of events of the burglary, which saw her tied up and held astatine gunpoint successful a luxury suite wherever she was staying during Paris Fashion Week.

Jewels worthy millions of dollars were taken from her, including a $4m (£2.9m) diamond engagement from then-husband Kanye West.

Ten radical are connected trial, which began past month.

On Monday, witnesser Abderrahmane Ouatiki, the nighttime receptionist who says helium was marched up to Kardashian's edifice suite and made to construe the burglars' demands, said the American prima was "completely hysterical" and "in a authorities of implicit terror" arsenic a "very nervous" antheral pointed a weapon astatine her.

"He was precise assertive and she was utterly terrified," said Ouatiki.

He added helium excessively had feared for his beingness arsenic the burglar was acting erratic and was intelligibly irritated by Kardashian's screaming.

Three radical reportedly kept ticker successful the reception of the exclusive Hotel de Pourtalès successful cardinal Paris portion 2 different men forced Ouatiki to instrumentality them to Kardashian's suite, wherever they demanded she springiness him the ringing and besides stole different jewels for a full of $9m.

The men were arrested 3 months aboriginal alongside respective different radical thought to beryllium accessories to the crime.

Twelve were yet owed to look successful court, though 1 died successful March and different has been excused owed to wellness reasons. Of the remaining 10, each but 2 contradict immoderate engagement successful the burglary. The jewels were ne'er recovered but constabulary deliberation they were breached up and sold on.

French media person dubbed the defendants the "grandpa robbers" arsenic respective are successful their 70s. Many besides person superior wellness problems. One is undergoing chemotherapy, portion different had disposable tremors.

The alleged ringleader, Aomar Ait Khedache, 68, was questioned past week but is deaf and mute and had to constitute his answers down with a pen and insubstantial which were projected connected to a screen.

Since the proceedings opened connected 28 April, prosecutors person sought to dispel the representation of hapless aged burglars – who reportedly did not cognize their victims was a hugely celebrated celebrity.

"They whitethorn person made mistakes but they were inactive a decent team," said the pb researcher of the Brigade de Répression du Banditisme (Banditry Repression Brigade) peculiar portion past week.

He noted that the burglars tied up Kardashian's feet and ankles with cablegram ties and stuck portion connected her mouth, and they took a car to parkland adjacent the country of the transgression and utilized burner phones.

"That was good done," helium said. "They pulled it off, due to the fact that they managed to flog the goods and thenar disconnected a $4m ringing successful Antwerp, which isn't that easy," helium added.

In his testimony, Ouatiki besides painted a frightening representation of 1 of the burglars who helium said was wielding a weapon and was "stressed and shouting… You consciousness that's idiosyncratic that tin beryllium precise dangerous."

Ouatiki acted arsenic an interpreter betwixt the antheral and Kardashian and said helium did his champion to "calm things down arsenic I didn't cognize what helium was susceptible of".

When the burglars tied up Kardashian and took her to the bathroom, she was lone wearing a bathrobe and the loop came undone, the tribunal heard. Asked by Kardashian's lawyer Léonore Hennerick to picture the moment, Ouatiki declined to spell into detail. "You person to respect the victim, I think," helium said.

Referencing that infinitesimal successful an affectional interrogation successful 2020, Kardashian told American writer David Letterman that she thought she was going to beryllium sexually assaulted.

"I was like, 'Okay, this is the clip I'm going to get raped'," she said.

She added that she feared for her beingness and that she was disquieted for her sister Khloe, who was retired astatine a club: "I'm gonna beryllium dormant successful the country and she's gonna beryllium traumatised for the remainder of her life."

Instead, the burglars grabbed her ringing arsenic good arsenic assorted different jewels, telephone and €1,000 successful currency and ran off. Kardashian was rapidly capable to untie herself and her bodyguard arrived soon after. She gave a connection to constabulary successful the aboriginal hours of 3 October and instantly flew backmost to the US.

For his part, Ouatiki – an Algerian nationalist who astatine the clip was a PhD pupil successful semiotics – said helium suffered greatly from speculation successful the media that helium whitethorn person been successful connected the heist.

"The suspicion was precise dense to bear," helium told the court.

Ouatiki told French media helium mislaid his pupil presumption soon aft the heist and had to spell backmost to Algeria, wherever helium was diagnosed with PTSD.

"It was a catastrophe, my beingness fell apart," helium told Le Point.

On Tuesday morning, Simone Bretter, Kardashian's person and stylist, volition instrumentality the stand. She was staying successful the aforesaid suite during the heist but was connected a antithetic level and hid erstwhile she realised burglars had breached in.

Almost 500 journalists are accredited and Kardashian's grounds is acceptable to pull immense media attention.

"Testifying volition let her to reclaim bureau successful this concern and rewrite the ending," said Jeetendr Sehdev, personage adept and the writer of The Kim Kardashian Principle.

"In 2016 she was the punchline. But successful 2025 testifying is going to crook her into the narrator," helium told the BBC.