Kim Kardashian has arrived at a Paris court where she will give evidence against the men accused of robbing her at gunpoint in 2016.
This will be the first time Kardashian has faced the alleged assailants since that night, when she begged for her life as masked men bound her with zip ties and stole jewellery worth millions of dollars.
Kardashian’s appearance is expected to be the emotional centrepiece of a trial that has captivated France, where the suspects — mostly in their 60s and 70s — are nicknamed “the grandpa robbers”.
Authorities say the group tracked her via her Instagram posts.
Two defendants have admitted being at the scene.
Her lawyers say she is ready to confront those who attacked her with dignity.
Earlier, Kardashian’s childhood friend and then stylist told the court that she heard the celebrity beg for her life during the robbery.
Simone Harouche, who was sharing their two-floor hotel suite during Fashion Week, said she heard a terrified Kardashian yelling: “’I have babies and I need to live’. That is what she kept on saying, ‘Take everything. I need to live.’”
“I was scared that she was raped or violated. I thought the worst,” Ms Harouche said.
Kardashian was “screaming with terror in her voice”.
One of the most recognisable figures on the planet, Kardashian is set to face 10 men accused of orchestrating the heist — a crime that shook the fashion world and redefined the risks of being visible, female and famous in the Instagram era.
Ms Harouche told the court the trauma “forever” changed her friend, whom she’s known since age 12, robbing her of a basic human right, freedom.
“She now has a completely different lifestyle,” she said. “In terms of security, she can’t go alone, she doesn’t go alone to places anymore. To lose your sense of freedom … it’s horrible.”
Kardashian’s evidence is expected to recount how the attackers demanded her ring and left her fearing she would never see her children again.
David De Pas, the lead judge, asked Ms Harouche whether Kardashian had made herself a target by posting images of herself with “jewels of great value”.
“No,” Ms Harouche replied. “Just because a woman wears jewellery, that doesn’t make her a target. That’s like saying that because a woman wears a short skirt that she deserves to be raped.”
Twelve suspects were originally charged. One has died and another was excused due to illness.
Most are in their 60s and 70s — nicknamed les papys braqueurs or “the grandpa robbers” — and authorities describe them as a seasoned and co-ordinated criminal gang.
Two defendants have admitted being at the scene. The others deny involvement, and one claims he didn’t know who Kardashian was. But police say the group tracked her via social media, where she had posted images of her jewellery, her hotel and her schedule — exposing her vulnerability.
