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Kim Kardashian robbery suspect ‘must not profit’ from book about theft

Yunice Abbas releases book about burglary while awaiting trial

Zoe Tidman
Thursday 11 February 2021 14:04 EST
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Kim Kardashian was the victim of a robbery in Paris in 2016
Kim Kardashian was the victim of a robbery in Paris in 2016 (Getty Images)

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A French court has reportedly ruled a suspect in the robbery of Kim Kardashian West in Paris will not profit from a book he has written about the burglary.

Lawyers for a night watchman at the hotel where the theft took place say they have obtained a court order “authorising the seizure of the rights” on the sales of Yunice Abbas' book, J'ai séquestré Kim Kardashian (I held Kim Kardashian prisoner).

They said they were moved by the fact Abbas “could extract profit from a book which claims involvement in criminal events”. 

Abbas was one of 12 people arrested in relation to the theft and does not plan on contesting the charges, according to AFP news agency.

Around $10m-worth of jewellery was stolen in the heist at the luxury residence where Kardashian was staying for Paris Fashion Week in 2016.

One of the items the robbers made off with was a 20-carat engagement ring worth $4m bought by husband Kanye West.

Police said the reality TV star was held at gunpoint, tied up and locked in a bathroom during the robbery in October 2016.

Abbas, one of the suspects in the theft, published a book about the robbery earlier this month and has appeared on French television.

Abbas and other suspects are still awaiting trial, according to French newspaper Le Parisien.

The book royalties will be sequestrated “until the day they can be handed over to our client" as compensation, Henri de Beauregard, one of the lawyers for the nightwatchman at the residence, said, according to AFP.

He reportedly said his client had experienced psychological consequences from the robbery.

The watchman's lawyers also claimed he was “neutralised by several people under the threat of a gun” in a press release about the court order.

In 2017, a year after the Paris theft, Kardashian and husband West were hit by an attempted burglary in their house in Los Angeles.

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