Kim Kardashian Testifies in Paris Gunpoint Robbery Case: She Thought She’d Be Assaulted, the Letter Read Aloud, & So Much More
Kim Kardashian arrived at court for her testimony in the Paris, France robbery case.
As you may remember, Kim was robbed of over $10 million worth of jewelry, including a $4 million ring from then-husband Kanye West, on October 3, 2016 when five masked men broke into her room and held her at gunpoint and tied her up and gagged her at the No Address Hotel in Paris, France.
She and her mom, Kris Jenner, appeared in court today (May 13) as the trial continued.
Kim actually took the stand to testify, and we have some of her quotes.
Keep reading to find out more…
“I came to Paris for Fashion Week, and Paris is always a place that I love so much. I always felt really safe…I’d stop in little hotels for hot chocolate, it was magical. But when I came for Fashion Week during that trip, it changed everything,” Kim said on the stand (via the BBC).
The beginning of the robbery:
In the middle of the night, men entered her hotel room. “I obviously was very confused when they first walked in – I had to make sense of what was happening… I was just about to fall asleep,” adding she had “also fallen asleep naked with just a robe on, so I was just flustered.”
She described how the assailants had brought Abderrahmane Ouatiki, the hotel’s night receptionist with them, and Kim was confused to see him.
“And I think that confused me a bit more – not understanding if he was a part of this or he wasn’t,” she said on the stand. “I understand now how shocked he was and he was just a victim like myself and we were in this together.”
They apparently kept asking for her ring, but Kim was confused: “I was still in such shock, because honestly a lot of terrorist attacks were going on in the world and me and my friends were talking about what was going on in the world and… I didn’t get what was happening and I didn’t get it was about my jewellery, even though they specifically asked for my ring.”
She continued, “The taller one was looking through my stuff and had found the jewellery box, and he said: ‘aha, aha!’ – excited and grateful that he found more jewellery.”
The gun to her back:
They allegedly took her throughout the room to find more jewels. She says she had a gun to her back in this moment, and said to herself, “That was the first moment I thought should I run for it? But it wasn’t an option so I just stayed – and that’s the moment I realized I should just do whatever they say.”
Her fear of assault and losing her life:
She asked the concierge: “please translate to them that I have babies, I have to make it home.”
At one point, her robe flew open and exposed herself, and she thought she would be assaulted.
“I’m certain that’s the moment he rapes me. I say a prayer to mentally prepare myself,” but she said that she was tied together instead.
“At that point I was sure that’s when they were going to shoot me. So I said a prayer for my family and my mom and my sister and best friend,” she continued, adding she was worried her sister Kourtney would find her dead: “I would be shot dead on the bed and she would see that and have that memory forever.”
“I absolutely did think I was gonna die,” she continued.
The burglars left, and Kim was now alone:
Then men put her in the bathtub before leaving, and Kim was eventually able to get loose from some of her ties.
“I was able to get the … tape off and then I popped down to find Simone [her stylist]” she shared.
They both ran to the balcony and hid in the bushes.
“I remember calling my mum from the bushes to let her know what happened and then I think while we were waiting for my security to come Simone and I were trying to come up with a plan – if they come back should we just jump out the window?” she recalled.
Her security explanation:
The judge then asked where her security was.
“At that time, that was all the security that we would travel with. We assumed hotels were safe and secure,” Kim said. “Every time we travelled they [the bodyguards] would stay in a different hotel and when we were in ours they’d travel back to theirs.”
Some aftermath:
The impacts of this robbery have been lasting, Kim said: “So I can’t even sleep at night if I know there’s not multiple security [guards].”
Keeping Up with the Kardashians questions:
The judge asked Kim, “In one episode you said that you believed that the burglars were a group of people who had been following you your whole trip, and that they ‘saw on Snapchat that I was alone’… they had a window of opportunity and they take advantage of it. Do you have any memory of this episode?”
“Yes I do remember. I think I was trying to figure out how they’d know I was there,” Kim shared. “But I went back and watched the Snapchat and that was not the same night of this; it was the night before.” She said she was actually going to get a spray tan “because the next morning I was going to the Balenciaga show and I was wearing no make up and wanted to wear fake tan. So I think the media got confused and posted that Snapchat as if it was the same night.”
Letter from one of the defendants:
One of the defendants, Aomar Ait Khedache, wrote Kim a letter, and it was read aloud.
Here’s the text: “Madame, after seeing you in a French TV show and seeing your emotion and realising what psychological harm I did to you, that I decided to write to you. Not with the aim of getting forgiveness… I want to tell you human to human how I regret my actions and how I was touched to see you cry… I am sorry for the pain I caused you, your husband, you children and those who love you. Of course you can’t undo the past but I hope this letter will help you forget the trauma you endured because of me.”
Kim’s response to the letter:
“I am obviously emotional about it – this experience changed my life, my family’s life,” she said. “Back home in the States I work in the justice system and I want so badly to be a lawyer and I fight for people to seek justice.”
She said to the defendant, “I do appreciate the letter for sure. I do appreciate it, I forgive you. But it doesn’t change the emotion, the feelings and the trauma and the way my life has changed.”
After Kim forgave him, Aomar Ait Khedache wrote another note for Kim in the courtroom, and it said, “Your forgiveness is a sunshine that has enlightened me… I am forever grateful.”
How Her Life Has Changed Since:
Sshe was asked how the robbery changed her, and she remarked that her life is “completely different now.” She revealed that security drives her where she goes and sleeps outside of her hotel doors now. Previously, security had left and gone to their own hotel rooms when Kim retired.
She added that she never posts in real time on social media, unless the public already knows where she will be.
In addition, when she’s wearing jewelry, she now sends it off in a car to a safe deposit box before she even gets home. Kim shared, “I cant sleep back home if jewellery is back home with my babies.”
She also detailed how the event was traumatic, saying, “I have had to change my life…if someone was coming up the stairs and I called out to them and they didn’t reply I’d start crying because it reminded me of that time. Other than that I try to be just strong and protective and I have a lot of security around my house, even if it’s excessive or ridiculous to other people, that’s what I need to feel safe and sleep and I’m okay with that.”
She added she’s been in “extensive therapy recently.”
“I just finished law school. I spend a lot of time in prisons meeting with people who have committed crimes,” she added. “So I am empathetic towards people who have committed crimes and their families. I really do believe in second chances and rehabilitation and I work in the justice system to help provide those rehabilitation experiences.”
Deciding to Testify:
“I wanted to be a part of today because I am a victim in this case and it’s the first time I’m able to really hear from everyone and follow along,” she shared. “This is what I do. I want to become a lawyer and I do believe everyone has the opportunity to speak their truth, and this is my closure and my opportunity to put this to rest after everything I’ve been through.”
Her job is “to tell my truth and hope this doesn’t happen to anyone else…It was terrifying and life changing and I don’t wish that kind of terror on anyone – to think you could be killed or raped – I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.”
On how she uses social media:
“Social media has been a great business tool for me and my family and all our contracts whether it’s TV shows or products – it’s always in the contract there have to be certain social media posts,” she shared.
“The bigger social media following you have, the more products you can sell. To have these mini reality shows of always posting your every move on social media is the culture a lot in the US,” she added.
Posted To:Kim Kardashian Kris Jenner
