They face life imprisonment, but the required sentences are 13 and ten years in prison. Aïssa Bendjaber and Sébastien Heymann, the two main suspects in the case of the armed robbery of the Chopard jewelry store, are tried in their absence at the Paris Assize Court.
Nicknamed “the borsalino robber”, the headgear he used on at least three occasions during robberies of Parisian jewelry stores between 2009 and 2015, Aïssa Bendjaber, 66, never showed up at the hearing, making claiming that he was “old and sick”.
Aged 48, Sébastien Heymann admitted for the first time during Friday’s hearing that he had participated in the robbery of the Chopard jewelry store on March 1, 2016. But he did not appear at the hearing Monday morning to hear the submissions of the Advocate General. The loot from the heist is estimated at several million euros.
Two experienced robbers tried in their absence
“The man with the borsalino” is known for his participation in numerous similar robberies, including that of the Chopard jewelry store in May 2009. He was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2011 for this armed robbery. The loot, estimated at 6.8 million euros, has never been found. Aïssa Bendjaber found freedom in 2015. Her accomplice Sébastien Heymann was arrested in Switzerland in February 2017 during the failed robbery of a jewelry store in Geneva. Investigators quickly linked Heymann to the Chopard robbery in March 2016.
The Attorney General also requested sentences of 4 years of detention including three and a half years with probationary suspension and 18 months including 15 months with probationary suspension against the brothers Salim and Sliman K. who appear free for concealment of property from theft and receiving stolen goods. The verdict is expected Monday evening.