Laura Gotzi and Gabriella Pomeroy
BBC News, Paris, London
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The trial began with 10 people accused of stealing Kim Kardashian from a hotel in Paris at Gun Point in 2016.
The reality TV star and businesswoman were tied up and restrained at the muzzle in a luxury suite where he was staying at Paris Fashion Week.
She photographed several million dollars worth of gems. This includes $4 million (£2.9 million) of diamond engagement from her then-husband Kanye West.
In an epic courtroom decorated with 19th century tapestry, the court was given an appealing snapshot into the lives of a diverse cast of characters suspected of being involved in the robbery.
The first was Yunice Abbas, 71, which was done through “Enquête de Personnalité.” These reports incorporate elements of the defendant’s family history, behavior and work, draw pictures of his own life, and help the ju-degrees make decisions.
The court heard a long list of crimes that Abbas had been found guilty in the past — from small crimes and small amounts of drug trafficking to bank robbery — a difficult childhood.
The ald-stricken man who spent almost a third of his life in prison has already acknowledged his role in the robbery, and even wrote a memoir entitled “I held up Kim Kardashian.” Court President David Dupas suggested that the book shows Abbas is proud of what he did – something Abbas repeatedly denied.
When asked if he had sympathy for the victim, Abbas said he had not been there before the Kardashian robbery.
Abbas said he faced merciless reporting of the robbery while watching television in prison.
“We grabbed a woman’s handbag and discovered that there was a trauma behind it,” he said.
EPA
Defendant Yunis Abbas wrote a book about the robbery.
The court also focused on Gary Madhar, whose brother’s company provided transportation and taxis to Kardashians for several years. Now in 35 years, the father of two has been accused of giving information to the gang about Kim Kardashian’s location on the night of the robbery.
At the time, Gary worked as a customer service agent at the airport of the transport company. His job was to welcome VIPs arriving at the Paris airport and escort them through passports and customs checks. Through this job, he met Kardashian several times.
However, he also worked in a cafe owned by another accused, Florushéroui, 52.
He denied this, telling the BBC that Madhar should not be in the dock as there is no “solid evidence” of his involvement.
Marc Boyer (78), who is accused of supplying the weapons used to threaten Kardashian, was also raised at length. He regrets that his son, Mark Alexandre Boyer (the accused), grew up surrounded by “thieves” and “con artists” who led him to make the wrong life choices.
For the rest of the week, more defendants will be in position once the trial is checked on May 13th – Kim Kardashian will be testifying.
The majority of the 400 journalists reporting about the trial are expected to flock to the court that day, and court staff are unsure how they will respond to many reporters who want a front seat.
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Gary Madhar (right) works for a transport company and is accused of giving information to the gang about the location of the Kardashian on the night of the robbery
The court is exempt from 10 of the 12 people arrested in 2017, 10 of 10 died last month, and another 81-year-old has advanced dementia.
Another Aomar Ait Khedache gets up on Wednesday, but he is now deaf and muted, and he has to write down the answer on paper.
The trial comes after eight and a half years of robbery.
Patricia Toulanty, a crime reporter and author of a book on robbery, told the BBC that Parisian courts have been busy with large-scale terrorist trials for several years and have created a backlog.
She also said that long waiting times must be related to the defendant’s age and health issues.
“When they were released, it felt like it wasn’t urgent for a judge to bring this to justice,” Thunchy said.
