PARIS (Reuters) – Celebrity billionaire Kim Kardashian gave evidence on Tuesday in the trial of a gang dubbed the “grandpa robbers”, who are accused of stealing jewellery worth millions of euros from her at gunpoint during Paris Fashion Week in 2016.
Here is what she told the court, at times in tears:
“I came to Paris for fashion week. Paris was always a place that I loved so much. I used to walk around the city when I woke up in the middle of the night. I always felt very safe.”
‘RING! RING!’
“It was around three in the morning. I heard stomping up the stairs when I was in bed. I kept calling out for my sister and one of my best friends, but no one answered me. And in my bedroom come in a few police officers, or what I assumed were police officers as they were in police uniforms.”
“I obviously was very confused. I had to make sense of what was happening. I was just about to fall asleep, naked with a robe on.”
“Then I heard one of the gentlemen forcefully say ‘Ring! Ring!’ in English, with an accent, pointing.”
‘DIDN’T IMMEDIATELY UNDERSTAND’
“And I was still in such shock, because honestly a lot of terrorist attacks were happening in the world, and I thought it was some sort of terrorist attack, and I didn’t immediately understand it was for my jewellery.”
‘THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE’
“They pulled me back in the room once they realised they had everything, and they threw me on the bed.”
“I was pretty hysterical, and I just looked at the concierge and told him: ‘What is going to happen to us? I have to make it home to my babies.'”
“The other guy had a gun (on) me. And it was at the end of the bed, so he grabs my leg and pulls me toward him on the bed so the robe is opened and everything is exposed. And that was the moment when I thought he would rape me. But he ended up tying me up and closed my legs.”
“I thought about my sister, thought she would walk in and see me shot dead and have that memory in her forever.”
“I absolutely thought I was going to die.”
IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH
“After a few minutes, I didn’t hear anything, so I (moved over) to the sink, and it was a marble sink so I cut my ties.”
“When I got downstairs, Simone (her stylist) let me know that she had called my sister Kourtney, and her and the security were on the way. We weren’t sure at that point if they were going to come back. So we ran on the balcony to hide in the bushes.”
“I remember calling my mom from the bushes to let her know what happened. And then I think while we were waiting for my security, we were trying to come up with a plan, if we should jump from the window, as it was just a one-storey building.”
AFTER THE ATTACK
“Now I have between four and six security (personnel) at home for me to feel safe. I think there are people who hear these stories and then they want to copycat. My house in Los Angeles was robbed just after what happened in Paris.”
“I can’t sleep at night if there aren’t multiple security people.”
ABOUT THE SUSPECTS
“I only saw one (suspect) holding a weapon.”
“I felt like, because the guy that tied me up saw how frantic I was and wouldn’t get close to me – almost whispering: ‘Shhh, are you okay? – I felt in that moment that he was (like) a father. I felt like he wanted me to know that I would be okay if I just shut up. And then they started arguing. I didn’t know what they said, as it was in French, and then he went from ‘Shh’ to aggressively grabbing my legs – so I thought maybe I got it wrong.”
“No, I was not hit. No, I was grabbed, and dragged into the other room, and thrown onto the floor, but wasn’t hit, no.”
“(The gun) was pointed towards me to get me to go from room to room, and it was pointed toward me on the bed at the end.”
ON APOLOGY FROM ONE SUSPECT
“I’m honestly emotional about it. This experience changed my life, changed my family life … I do appreciate the letter, for sure, I forgive you for what has taken place, but it doesn’t change the feelings and the trauma and the fact that my life was forever changed, but I do appreciate the letter, thank you.”
‘CLOSURE’
“This is my closure. This is me putting this hopefully to rest, after being able to see everyone and thank the French judiciary system for figuring out this investigation.”
“I believe in rehabilitation but it isn’t for me to decide – it’s up to the jury. My job is just to tell my truth, and hope it doesn’t happen to anyone else, to fear (being) raped and killed. I wouldn’t wish that upon my worst enemy.”
“I do hope that everyone involved get the help they need, get rehabilitated and doesn’t do this again.”
(Reporting by Juliette Jabkhiro; Writing by Makini Brice; Editing by Richard Lough and Joe Bavier)
