French prosecutors urge 10-year terms for key accused in Kardashian theft / Photo: LEO VIGNAL - AFP/File
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French prosecutors urge 10-year terms for key accused in Kardashian theft
Prosecutors on Wednesday urged a French court to hand 10-year prison terms to the four men accused of robbing American superstar Kim Kardashian of some $10 million worth of jewellery at a Paris hotel.
The sentencing demands came on the final days of a trial that saw the reality TV star last week tell a packed court she feared she would be killed by the masked men who held her at gunpoint in the early hours of October 3, 2016.
But she also expressed her forgiveness despite the "trauma", with most of the suspects now in their 60s and 70s and dubbed the "Grandpa robbers" in the French media.
Nine men and one woman have been standing trial, with prosecutors seeking the most severe jail terms of 10 years for the four men accused of carrying out the robbery.
"I know, just as you do, that among the 10 accused, eight proclaim their innocence," prosecutor Anne-Dominique Merville told the court on Wednesday.
"Yet my firm conviction is that they are all guilty," she added.
The attackers threatened Kardashian with a gun, tied her up and taped her mouth.
They made off with valuables that for the most part were never recovered, including a diamond ring given to Kardashian by her then-husband, rapper Kanye West, and valued alone at 3.5 million euros ($3.9 million).
"They were masked, wearing gloves, they were going to hold her and tie her up. They have no empathy for Kim Kardashian, for the receptionist," said Merville.
She appealed to the panel of judges and jurors who will decide the verdict on Friday not to be taken in by "the reassuring wrinkles" of the accused and to remember they are charged with involvement in a violent crime.
In this "meticulously prepared" robbery, where "thieves" were recruited, "they came for the ring, they got it, they knew exactly what they were doing," she said.
- 'Pay for his crimes' -
The prosecutor requested that the alleged mastermind behind the robbery -- Aomar Ait Khedache -- be sentenced to 10 years in prison.
He has admitted to tying up Kardashian, but denies being the ringleader of the robbery.
Khedache, 69, "gave orders", recruited others, and travelled to Belgium to sell the jewellery, according to the prosecutor.
The prosecutor accused Khedache of "minimising the violence" even though he admitted to being one of the men who went Kardashian's bedroom.
"There is no risk of reoffending," she acknowledged, while adding that he must "pay for his crimes."
Merville demanded a similar sentence for Didier Dubreucq, 69, who was also in the hotel room according to the prosecution but maintains his innocence.
Yunice Abbas, 71, who wrote a book about the robbery, admitted to arriving at the scene of the robbery with two accomplices on bicycles to "keep watch."
For him too, "the truth has many facets", the prosecutor said, requesting a 10-year sentence.
For the fourth suspected member of the team on the night, Marc-Alexandre Boyer, the only youngster at 26 years old at the time, she also demanded 10 years, noting his denials, his past criminal record and the "risk of reoffending".
Seven-year sentences are being sought for Gary Madar -- the brother of Kardashian's chauffeur -- and his friend Florus Heroui, who, according to the prosecution, obtained and shared information about Kardashian's schedule in Paris.
Eight years are being sought for Khedache's son, Harminy, accused of being the driver on the evening of the robbery.
The prosecutor wants six years for the only woman on trial, Cathy Glotin, who the prosecution says was responsible for arranging the meetings between her partner Khedache and the accomplices.
- Ageing defendants -
None of the accused are currently in detention and whatever the verdict of the court they are above all seeking to avoid any return to jail.
The charges of armed robbery and sequestration meant some of the accused could have faced up to 30 years in prison but it appears the prosecution took into account their age and heath condition in the sentencing demands.
Abbas, who underwent heart surgery while in pretrial detention, suffers from Parkinson's disease.
Khedache, meanwhile, is completely deaf and virtually mute, and had to read the sentencing demands from a screen.
M.Parisi--GdR
