Nearly ten years following the dramatic robbery of Kim Kardashian in her Paris hotel suite, eight out of ten defendants have been declared guilty of crimes associated with the incident.
Delivered by a conclave of three judges and six jurors in a Paris courtroom this past Friday, the verdict came with two defendants receiving acquittals. The judge, in his sentencing, considered factors such as the defendants’ ages, the time since the offense, and their spotless records during this duration.
The sentences, varying from three to eight years imprisonment, were shorter than the prosecution’s request. With the majority of the sentences either entirely or mostly suspended, the time already served taken into account, none of the convicted individuals will return to jail. It was made known that the defendants have a window of ten days to appeal the court’s decision.
Reports indicate that Kim Kardashian was informed of the ruling. According to her lawyer, Leonor Hennerick, Kardashian will not appeal. “Kim Kardashian is aware of the decision and is satisfied,” Hennerick told reporters on the scene, “Justice has been served, and she can now move on.”
Nine men and one woman were implicated in the heist. Five men reportedly disguised as police officers breached Kardashian’s hotel suite and made away with valuables estimated at $6 million, including a diamond engagement ring from her former spouse, Kanye West. The ring alone is believed to be worth around $4 million.
Kardashian testified during the trial that the ordeal had left her fearing for her life. She recounted that while packing at about 3 a.m. during Paris fashion week in 2016, two men, posing as police officers, entered her room. The intruders had the hotel’s concierge handcuffed and led him into the room, she informed the court. Kardashian was subsequently bound, gagged, and confined to a bathroom.
It was in January 2017 when French authorities announced the arrests of the suspects in connection with the robbery. The suspects, due to their advanced age, have collectively been referred to as the “grandpa robber” or “papys braqueurs”. Initially, there were 12 defendants, one of whom has since passed away. Another individual cannot stand trial due to a medical condition, as per French authorities.
A decade-long chapter is brought to a close with this verdict, allowing all parties involved, victims and defendants alike, to move forward. Despite the final verdict, the possibility of appeal still hovers, leaving a degree of uncertainty in this already complex case.
