Eight people have been found guilty after US reality television star Kim Kardashian was taken by the muzzle of millions of dollars worth of jewelry in Paris almost a decade ago.
The four who took part in the robbery are given a maximum sentence of eight years, most are suspended, and they will not return to prison for time. The two were acquitted.
Nine men and one woman were accused of running or supporting an armed robbery of jewellery worth $10 million (£7.55 million) worth of jewelry, including diamond engagement rings, during Paris Fashion Week 2016.
“This crime was the most frightening experience of my life and left lasting impact on me and my family,” Kardashian said in a statement after the verdict.
“I will never forget what happened, but I believe in the power of growth and accountability and pray for healing for all.”
“We look forward to putting this tragic episode behind her,” Kardashian’s lawyer said in a statement.
Between October 3rd and 4th, 2016, a gang of men entered the building as Kardashian was in the room at Hotel De Portales in central Paris.
DNA evidence from AOMAR AIT KHEDACHE (69) and 71-year-old Yunice Abbas placed them at the crime scene, and the two admitted their involvement.
Khedache, a deaf mute who is now disabled and has been sentenced to eight years in prison on Friday, of which five years have been suspended.
For the time he has already served, he will not return to prison – like all the other convicted.
Abbas, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease and has recently undergone cardiac surgery, has been sentenced to five suspended seven years in prison along with Didier Deburek.
The same sentence was given to 35-year-old Mark Alexandre Boyer, the fourth member of the robbery gang.
Most of those convicted in the 60s and 70s are called “grandpa robbers” by the French media.
However, since the start of the trial in April, both prosecutors and civil parties have been pushed back violently to the notion that robbers are harmless.
Prosecutor Anne Dominique Marville urged the ju judges not to be influenced by their age and health, describing the defendant as a “experienced robbery” when he committed the robbery.
However, the verdict handed out Friday was far lower than the prosecutors had sought.
“The writing is very generous. I understand that you have caused harm,” Judge David De Path told the defendant when he handed out the verdict.
He said, “The health of the hero ethically prohibits anyone from imprisoning someone.”
He added: “It would have been unfair to take you to prison tonight.”
Kardashian told the court earlier this month that she forgives Khedache after receiving an apology letter from him.
“I certainly appreciate the letter. I appreciate it, I will forgive you,” she said.
During the trial, Kardashian recounted the events of the night.
She said she had retired to her hotel room around 3:00 when two masked shooters in police uniforms exploded and dragged a hotel receptionist who was tied up and monkeyed.
She managed to call her bodyguard and one of the men unspoken the phone from her.
They snatched her engagement ring, which was lying on the bedside table, then “Pick me up from the bed, grab me and take me down the hallway, looking for more jewelry.”
One of the men had a gun on her back, she was thrown into the bed, her hands tied with a zip tie.
At this point, she told the concierge:
One of the men then pulled her towards him and opened her robe.
She told the court she feared that she would be raped, but then her legs were tied together.
The gun was pointed at her and she said she believed she would die.
The robber then took the jewelry and jumped out of the suite, leaving the Kardashian in the bathroom.
After releasing herself with the help of her friend and stylist Simone Hallouch, she ran to the balcony to ask for help.
Kardashians are worried that the man might return and when the Paris police showed up, they said they couldn’t trust them as the robbers were wearing police uniforms as well.
