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CRIME

Saudi princess reports theft of €800,000 worth of jewels at Paris Ritz

A member of the Saudi royal family has reported the theft of hundreds of thousands of euros' worth of jewellery from her hotel room at the Ritz hotel in Paris, police sources said Monday.

Saudi princess reports theft of €800,000 worth of jewels at Paris Ritz
Illustration photo: AFP
The person, who was not identified by name, said the theft — which would be the second reported jewel heist at the five-star hotel on Place Vendome this year — took place on Friday afternoon.
   
The jewels, worth an estimated 800,000 euros ($930,000), were not in a safe when they were taken and there was no sign of forced entry, the source said, confirming a report on France Info radio.
   
France Info said the victim was a Saudi princess staying in one of the hotel's suites.
   
An investigation has been opened by France's anti-organised crime brigade, a legal source said.
 
In January, an armed gang swiped an estimated four million euros' worth of jewels from shops inside the Ritz after bursting into the hotel and using hatchets to smash display cases.
   
All of the loot, some of which the robbers dropped while trying to make their escape, was recovered.
 
READ ALSO: 

A look at the biggest jewellery heists in France Photo: AFP

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CRIME

French cinema boss on trial for sexual assault

The head of France's top cinema institution Dominique Boutonnat denied sexually assaulting his godson as he went on trial Friday in a case that has led to calls for him to step down.

French cinema boss on trial for sexual assault

The trial comes as French cinema reels from a renewed #MeToo reckoning that has seen several big names, including acting legend Gerard Depardieu, accused of sexual abuse.

READ ALSO: French actor Gérard Depardieu to be tried for sexual assault in October

Activists have denounced Boutonnat’s continued leadership of the National Centre of Cinema (CNC), whose role includes overseeing measures to curb sexual violence in the industry.

His godson accuses him of trying to masturbate him during a holiday in Greece in 2020 when he was 19.

“I looked at him to find my godfather and that’s when I saw someone completely different… It was someone using me to masturbate,” the godson, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the court.

Boutonnat responded in court that it was his godson who had initiated the situation and kissed him.

“I feel bad about leaving an ambiguous situation, but to say there was a sexual assault is false,” he told the court.

He was placed under investigation in February 2021 but still reappointed by the government as head of the CNC in July 2022.

Training to prevent abuse has in recent months become obligatory for films seeking public funding via the CNC.

The CNC told AFP that the case against Boutonnat came from “the private sphere” and had no relation to its activities.

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