A 21-year-old has been sentenced to nine years in prison for his role in a terrifying break-in at the Paris flat of Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and his then-pregnant girlfriend three years ago.
Donnarumma and Alessia Elefante, whom he has since married and had a child with, were hit, bound and threatened with a knife after robbers broke into their flat on Avenue Montaigne, one of Paris' most famous and luxurious streets, while the couple were asleep.
A Paris criminal court sentenced Ilyas Kherbouch, nicknamed 'Ganito', to nine years in prison plus an €80,000 fine for his role in the attack, according to Marca. Kherbouch caused numerous disruptions during the two-day trial. His co-defendant Khyan Mamouni, 22, was acquitted, while Moktar Diop, 24, was sentenced to five years in prison, two of which were suspended.
Donnarumma, now 27, was playing for Paris Saint-Germain at the time of the robbery before his move to Manchester City. He did not give evidence in person, but a witness statement from him shed further light on what happened. Court documents revealed he was woken by a man saying 'shh' before being hit in the face with a knuckle duster and threatened with a knife.
What the robbers took
The man then said: 'The watches, the watches.' According to court documents, Donnarumma replied: 'I showed him the one on the dressing table, an Audemars Piguet.' Watches of that make can be worth up to hundreds of thousands of euros.
Elefante told investigators she was also woken by the thieves, who attacked her and shouted: 'The money, the watches.' She gave them a Cartier watch, jewellery and €2,000 (£1,718) in cash.
Safe code and violence
Elefante was then pressed for the code to a safe. She told the robbers she did not know it and that it was empty anyway. 'They got angry thinking that I was lying,' she told investigators. 'They pulled me by the hair and one of them hit me on the thighs. I said I was pregnant but they continued.'
Donnarumma then gave them the code to the safe, but as Elefante had warned, there was nothing inside. The court was told the robbers left with keys to a Mercedes and a Lamborghini, cash, watches and luxury handbags. Police said the four robbers reached the flat by using a ladder to climb onto the roof, before lowering themselves onto the balcony and breaking in through the windows.
Alleged masterminds and trial outbursts
Two men already in prison, Kherbouch, who has at least 11 previous criminal convictions, and Mamouni, are accused of masterminding and ordering the robbery from their cells. Both deny the charges.
Kherbouch escaped from jail in March and spent 13 days on the run before the trial began. He caused a stir at the opening of proceedings when he insulted and threatened police officers after they told his brother to leave the court. 'Come here, you,' he told them. 'What are you going to do?' When warned he could be expelled from the courtroom, he replied: 'I couldn't care less. I don't want to be present at the trial. I don't give a s***.'
The other defendants
Two of the robbers, who were under 18 at the time of the incident, have already been given jail sentences of three and four years respectively at a children's court. Moktar Diop admitted taking part but is not accused of resorting to violence.
A fourth suspect died by suicide in 2024. He had previously admitted involvement but told investigators he had come under pressure from his accomplices. Donnarumma and Elefante's lawyers have said the couple were 'still profoundly shocked' by the ordeal.
