PARIS, France — In a dramatic and emotional appearance before a Paris court on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, American reality television star Kim Kardashian forgave the man accused of holding her at gunpoint during a 2016 robbery that saw an estimated $10 million in jewellery stolen from her hotel room.
“I forgive you for what has taken place,” Kardashian told 68-year-old Aomar Ait Khedache, the alleged ringleader of the group, after he read a letter of apology in court.
“But it does not change the emotion, the feelings, the trauma and the way my life changed. Thank you for the letter.”
Kardashian, dressed in a black suit, gave her testimony as the trial of ten suspects—many of them elderly men with extensive criminal records—entered a key phase.
The case, dubbed by French media as the “heist of the century,” has attracted widespread attention, with nearly 500 reporters accredited to cover proceedings.
Recalling the events of the night of 2 October 2016 during Paris Fashion Week, Kardashian said she was alone in her hotel suite while her family and friends were out for the evening.
She described hearing “stomping” sounds before men dressed as police officers entered her room and demanded her diamond ring.
“Then I heard one of the gentlemen say ‘ring’ a few times over, ‘ring’, ‘ring’ and he pointed his finger with an accent,” she said.
“I didn’t understand at first that it was for my jewellery.”
The ring, valued at €3.5 million, had been a gift from her then-husband, rapper Kanye West.
Kardashian described how the men tied her up with zip ties, held her at gunpoint, and rifled through her belongings.
At one point, fearing for her life, she said a silent prayer for her family.
“I was certain that he was going to shoot me so I said a prayer for my family,” she told the court.
“I thought I was going to die.”
She added that she feared she would be sexually assaulted, but one of the robbers “closed my legs and put a tape on my leg,” suggesting otherwise.
During the attack, her calls to her security team went unanswered, and when they eventually returned to the hotel, Kardashian was found “in a terrible state,” according to Pascal D., a bodyguard who testified earlier.
“She was crying hysterically.”
The defendants on trial include Ait Khedache, known by the nickname “Old Omar”, and Yunice Abbas, 71, who later wrote a book detailing the heist.
Abbas recounted how he fell off his getaway bicycle after his bag of stolen items got caught in the wheel.
Investigators believe the gang was tipped off by Gary Madar, brother to Kardashian’s Paris driver.
Madar’s lawyer dismissed the claim, noting Kardashian’s location was already widely known to her more than 350 million followers on social media.
The case has also drawn renewed scrutiny of celebrity security practices.
Kardashian’s designated driver had worked 21 consecutive hours before being relieved by a colleague, leaving the star briefly unprotected on the night of the robbery.
Kardashian, who has transitioned from reality television to business and legal advocacy, opened her testimony by thanking French authorities for allowing her to “tell my truth.”
“I wanted so badly to be a lawyer and fight for people … I’ve always believed in the second chance,” she said tearfully.
The trial is scheduled to conclude on Friday, May 23, 2025.
Verdicts and potential sentencing for the ten defendants, most of whom have admitted some involvement, are expected shortly after.
