Paris trial on Kardashian robbery begins

Ten suspects go on trial in Paris on Monday over the 2016 robbery of the United States celebrity Kim Kardashian, which saw some $10 million worth of jewellery stolen from the reality TV star and influencer.

Kardashian, now 44 — who left Paris traumatized hours after the robbery on the night of 2-3 October 2016 — is due to testify at the trial on 13 May in a court appearance that will be a major event in itself.

Those on trial are mainly men in their 60s and 70s with previous criminal records and underworld nicknames like “Old Omar” and “Blue Eyes” that recall the old-school French bandits of 1960s and 1970s film noirs.

Kardashian, then 35, was threatened with a gun to the head and tied up with her mouth taped up. The theft was the biggest against a private individual in France in the past 20 years.

The trial will also go into how the perpetrators received the information as to where Kardashian was staying during Paris Fashion Week, and picked the very moment when her bodyguard was absent, accompanying her sister Kourtney to a night club.

It is thought Kardashian’s frequent posts about her wealth, personal life and whereabouts may have facilitated the perpetrators’ actions. The trial gets under way from 1230 GMT.

The star was staying at an exclusive hotel in central Paris favored by celebrities when two armed and masked men stormed into her room at around 3 a.m. after arriving at the establishment by bicycle.

They shouted that they wanted the diamond engagement ring from her now ex-husband, the US rapper Kayne West.

Kardashian had been showing it off on her social media channels — it alone was valued at $4 million (3.5 million euros).

They made off with the ring among $10 million worth of jewels.

The only item recovered was a diamond necklace dropped in the street while the thieves escaped.