Kim Kardashian was held hostage at gunpoint by a group of gangsters who impersonated police officers, fraudulently gained entry to an exclusive building and made off with an estimated £8.49 million worth of jewellery. Ten suspects went on trial on Monday afternoon (April 28) for the 2016 Paris robbery, which is estimated to be the largest scale theft from an individual in France in twenty years.

Kim is expected to testify herself in May as part of the month-long trial. She had already told of how she feared she would be raped and murdered when masked gunmen stormed into her suite in the early hours of the morning following a day of Paris Fashion Week photoshoot engagements. Her bodyguard had been partying with sister Kourtney Kardashian at a nightclub, leaving Kim alone and in bed, while the single member of concierge staff on duty was held at gunpoint too before being marched up to the room where Kim was staying.

Some of the men on trial have been branded the "Grandpa Robbers" due to their ages, with the majority of those in court being in their 60s and 70s.

They stand accused of pre-planning the murder alongside other men whose ages range from 35 to 78.

Their criminal underworld nicknames, including Old Omar and Blue Eyes, have been likened to those of French bandits from famous film noir movies.

Five armed men entered her building after reportedly scouring social media, where billionaire influencer Kim had been sharing Instagram updates of her whereabouts, as well as flashing glimpses of the 18.88 carat diamond ring given to her by rapper Kanye West to symbolise their engagement.

The ordeal lasted less than ten minutes before the gunmen fled with a stash of millions worth of jewellery, but it left Kim - who'd been tied up and had her mouth taped to silence her hysterical screams - very shaken up.

She revealed on David Letterman's Netflix show four years after the robbery: "[I thought] this is the time I’m going to get raped. I’m like: ‘What is happening? Are we gonna die? Just tell them I have children. I have babies, I have a husband, I have a family.’”

One of the men, Yunice Abbas, claimed to feel remorse at frightening Kim, saying he had "nothing against her" personally - and he's since written a tell all book, J’ai Séquestré Kim Kardashian (I Held Kim Kardashian Captive).

Based on DNA evidence and a lengthy investigation, 12 people were due to go on trial - but one has since died, while another must be tried separately for medical reasons.

The trial continues in Paris for the remaining 10 men.