'Grandpa robbers' accused of Kim Kardashian jewel heist to face Paris trial

Source: The Guardian

‘Grandpa robbers’ accused of Kim Kardashian jewel heist to face Paris trial

Armed thieves broke into reality TV star’s flat in France in 2016, making off with possessions worth millions of euros

Angelique Chrisafis in Paris
Mon 21 Apr 2025 16.54 BST
Last modified on Mon 21 Apr 2025 17.16 BST

A group of pensioners nicknamed the “grandpa robbers” will go on trial in Paris next week, charged with stealing jewellery worth millions of euros from the US TV reality star Kim Kardashian when she attended Paris fashion week in 2016.

In what was considered the biggest robbery of an individual in France in 20 years, Kardashian was tied up and held hostage at gunpoint in her bedroom in central Paris by armed thieves dressed as police officers in the early hours of 3 October 2016. The thieves escaped with up to an estimated €10m in jewellery.

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A group of five armed men, all aged over 60, are alleged to have arrived by bicycle or on foot and impersonated police officers to enter the building just after 2am.

After allegedly holding the concierge at gunpoint, they went to Kardashian’s apartment, where one man pulled a gun on her. Kardashian told police that the man spoke in “a very strong French accent” in English, telling her to hand over her diamond engagement ring. She was held at gunpoint, her arms and feet were tied and her mouth was taped. The men then fled the room in less than 10 minutes taking the ring and other jewels.

Ten people will go on trial in Paris in connection with the heist, ...

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/apr/21/grandpa-robbers-accused-of-kim-kardashian-jewel-heist-to-face-paris-trial