Kim Kardashian to face 'grandpa robbers' who held her at gunpoint in Paris - after key suspect in trial 'dies suddenly'

She will face a group of 10 defendants – most of whom are pensioners – for the first time in a trial beginning on Monday that will run for a month. It will comprise a presiding judge, two professional assessors, and six main jurors. The hearing involves more than 2,000 documents and there are four civil parties.

Five of the accused face armed robbery and kidnapping charges. The others are charged with complicity in the heist or the unauthorised possession of a weapon.

Kim Kardashian was robbed at gunpoint on the night of Oct 3 2016 while staying at the Hôtel de Pourtalès, a converted mansion close to La Madeleine church. At 2.20am, three cyclists in fluorescent yellow vests approached the Pourtalès and parked their bikes in the courtyard.

Two more arrived on foot. All were wearing black balaclavas and police armbands when they confronted the property’s only concierge, Abderrahmane Ouatiki, an Algerian father of one and Paris University doctoral student then aged 39. Pointing an antique Mauser 7.65mm pistol at his head, the gang led Mr Ouatiki upstairs to Kardashian’s £13,000-a-night penthouse, where she was lying on her bed in only her bathrobe.

Kardashian, at the time 35 and a mother of two, was alone after Duvier – whom she later sacked – went out dancing at L’Arc, a nightclub by the Arc de Triomphe, with a group that also included her sister Kourtney. She recalled hearing noises outside the door, later telling officers: “I said ‘Hello!’, but since no one answered, I knew something was wrong.”

Two “aggressive men” in black police uniforms then burst in with the handcuffed Mr Ouatiki. After Kardashian unsuccessfully tried to call 911 – an emergency number that only works in the United States – she was tied up, gagged and put in the bathtub by the men.

In all, the men were in the hotel building for 49 minutes before leaving the premises on their bicycles with a $4 million engagement ring given to her by the rapper Kanye West (now known as Ye), her husband at the time, along with her large Louis Vuitton jewellery box, which she said contained “everything I owned”.

Among the five defendants accused of complicity or the unauthorised possession of a weapon is Gary Mader, a VIP greeter who worked for the car company used by Kardashian in Paris, and Florus Heroui, a bar manager who allegedly passed on information about her movements. With many of the accused now ageing and with serious health conditions, and some having spent time in jail following their arrest, all are currently free under judicial supervision. If found guilty, those accused of the more serious crimes could face 10 years to life in prison.

One of the key suspects has reportedly died. Marceau Baum-Gertner, 72, was said to be the 'super fence' working with the gang and was allegedly responsible for finding buyers for the American's prized possessions.

He was due to go on trial on Monday but the criminal died in Paris's 10th arrondissement on March 6. Baum-Gertner's cause of death has not been released, but an investigating source said it was unexpected.