Kim Kardashian broke down in tears as she recounted the 2016 armed robbery in a Paris courtroom, saying she feared she would be raped and never make it home to her children, reports RTE.
The reality TV star arrived at the courthouse earlier in a black van, accompanied by her mother. The court session was closed to cameras and not broadcast live.
“I came to Paris for fashion week, Paris was always a place that I loved so much,” Ms Kardashian said as she began her testimony. We were leaving the next morning so I was just packing up, it was around 3 in the morning. I heard stomping up the stairs when I was in bed,” she recalled, reports RTE.
“And in my bedroom comes in a few police officers, or that I assumed were police officers as they were in police uniforms,” reports RTE.
“Then I heard one of the gentlemen forcefully say ‘ring! ring!’ in English, with an accent, pointing,” she said, reports RTE.
“I was pretty hysterical and I just looked at the concierge and told him what is going to happen to us, I have to make it home to my babies,” she told the court, reports RTE.
“I was certain that he (one of the robbers) was going to shoot me so I said a prayer for my family,” Ms Kardashian said as she wiped tears from her eyes. “I thought I was going to die,” she added, reports RTE.
She told the court she feared she might be raped when one of the men grabbed her leg and threw her onto the bed.
“But he ended up tying me up and closed my legs,” she said, reports RTE.
The suspects are accused of binding Ms Kardashian with zip ties and duct tape before stealing millions in jewellery, including a $4 million engagement ring gifted by her then-husband Kanye West, according to the investigation.
Before Ms Kardashian’s appearance, her stylist Simone Harouche, who had also been in the hotel apartment that night, described the overwhelming fear they both experienced during the attack.
“‘I have babies, and I have to live’ – that’s what I heard her say. ‘Take everything – I need to live'” said Ms Harouche, who had been downstairs while the robbery took place upstairs, reports RTE.
She said she locked herself in the bathroom and texted Kardashian’s sister Kourtney and their bodyguard for help.
When the intruders left and Kardashian came downstairs, “she was beside herself, I’ve never seen her like that before,” Ms Harouche said. “She just was screaming and kept saying we need to get out of here, we need help, what are we going to do if they come back,” reports RTE.
Ms Harouche, who became emotional during her testimony, said the incident led to post-traumatic stress and fear of working with celebrities, prompting her to switch careers and seek therapy.
A total of ten people—nine men and one woman—are on trial in connection with the incident, reports RTE.
Five male suspects are facing charges of armed robbery and kidnapping, which could carry a life sentence.
The remaining individuals are accused of complicity or illegal possession of a weapon, reports RTE.
During their escape, the robbers lost some items, including a diamond cross, which a passerby later handed over to police.
However, the majority of the stolen jewellery, including the high-value engagement ring, has never been recovered, reports RTE.
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