PARIS — A key defendant in the trial of a group accused of robbing Kim Kardashian at gunpoint in Paris back in 2016 and stealing $9 million worth of jewelry, has said he has come to regret the trauma he caused the reality star-turned-business mogul in the years since.
Yunice Abbas, perhaps the best-known defendant in the trial, said that despite a yearslong criminal history, this was the first time he had truly come to recognize the “trauma” he had caused his victim.
“I regret it, not because I got caught, but because… there was a trauma,” Abbas, now 72, said before a jury Tuesday as proceedings against the 10 people charged in connection with the 2016 robbery resumed after launching Monday afternoon.
The first of several defendants set to testify in the trial, Abbas had previously confessed to his role in the heist, detailing the robbery in his 2021 book, “I Kidnapped Kim Kardashian.”
The matter of the book came up during the testimony, with Abbas saying that he was not responsible for the title and that he disputes his alleged role in the heist. He added that he was not involved in tying up Kardashian, who was staying in Paris for the city’s Fashion Week, instead staying downstairs to keep watch.
Abbas and nine others, dubbed the “grandpa robbers” in local media due to their ages — some of the accused are in their 70s and 80s — are alleged to have played a range of roles in the heist including holding Kardashian, 44, at gunpoint and being complicit in that crime.
During questioning, Abbas described his criminal past — he has spent a total of almost 20 years in jail for various crimes — including the armed robbery of a bank in Belgium. The accused said that as a young man he was fiercely opposed to theft, but had turned to a life of crime due to the bad influence of friends and money difficulties, in the hope it would prove an easier path.
Abbas said his family had suffered due to his crimes, adding that he had “never had a role model” himself and he had done what he thought was needed to try to provide for his children.
The accused spoke rapidly during his testimony, his arm shaking throughout, possibly due to the fact he is now suffering from Parkinson’s disease. At one point the shaking was violent enough for him to hold one hand in the other.
In the years since the 2016 robbery targeting Kardashian, Abbas said he now felt “very uneasy” with what happened that day. But, he said, “I can’t do anything besides apologize.”
Kardashian had been staying at a private apartment complex in the French capital when five of the accused are alleged to have gained entry into the building and robbed her at gunpoint, taking items including her engagement ring from then-husband Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West. The five other defendants are accused of related offenses, including planning and giving tipoffs on Kardashian’s whereabouts.
In the years since the alleged incident, one defendant has died, while the case of another, age 80, has been separated from that of the other defendants due to medical issues.
In addition to Abbas, those standing trial will include Aomar Ait Khedache, 69, known as “Old Omar,” who is alleged to have masterminded the robbery; his son, Harminy, 37, accused of being the getaway driver; Didier “Blue Eyes” Dubreucq, 69; and the brother of Kardashian’s driver in Paris, Gary Madar, 35, who is accused of tipping the others off on Kardashian’s whereabouts. Christiane Glotin, 78, is also among the accused, with authorities alleging she was an accomplice in the heist.
At least four defendants were expected to be questioned in court on Tuesday.
Kardashian herself is expected to appear in court on May 13.
The reality star and businesswoman has previously detailed her experience during the robbery, at one point tearing up in an interview with David Letterman as she described how she feared she would be sexually assaulted and possibly killed during the attack.
“I was like, ‘okay, this is the time I’m going to get raped … just prepare yourself,” she said in the interview, wiping away tears, later describing how she feared her sister, Kourtney Kardashian, would find her dead.
“I just kept on thinking about Kourtney,” she said. “She’s going to be traumatized for the rest of her life if she sees me.”
Gabrielle Nolin reported from Paris and Chantal Da Silva reported from London.
