Ghislaine Maxwell news - live: Epstein associate expected to request retrial today after Prince Andrew doc
Convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell is expected to file a request for a retrial after a juror revealed following her conviction that he was a victim of sexual abuse.
The disgraced British socialite’s legal team was reportedly set to file court papers requesting a fresh trial after she was convicted in December on five counts of aiding Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse girls as young as 14.
Following the trial, juror Scotty David told The Independent that he had been a victim of childhood sexual abuse, and that he had told fellow jurors about his experience.
Maxwell’s lawyers say that he failed to give the court that information when he filled out a juror questionnaire before being picked to serve on the panel.
A second juror also came forward to tell The New York Times that they had also been sexually abused as a child.
Maxwell’s legal team also believe they found a third juror in the trial who did not reveal their own abuse history on their juror questionnaire, according to The Mail on Sunday.
Meanwhile, two acquaintances told an ITV documentary has suggested that Prince Andrew and Maxwell may have been more than just friends.
Former Buckingham Palace royal protection officer Paul Page and Euan Rellie, who knew Maxwell at university, both suggested the pair’s relationship was closer than previously thought.
“From the way she was allowed to enter and exit the palace at will, we realised... suspected, that she may have had an intimate relationship with Prince Andrew,” Mr Page said. He added that one colleague remembered Maxwell coming to the palace four times in a single day.
Mr Rellie told the broadcaster: “I got the sense that Prince Andrew and Ghislaine had probably been girlfriend and boyfriend in the past. They had an easy warmth around each other.”
Prince Andrew is facing a sexual assault civil suit in New York from Virginia Giuffre and has strongly denied all allegations against him.
Representatives for Prince Andrew had no comment when asked by The Independent about the ITV documentary claims.
Key Points
How original Scotty David article appeared in The Independent
Ghislaine Maxwell verdict, full charge list and sentencing date
Ghislaine, Prince Andrew and the Paedophile: Five things we learnt from new documentary
What were Prince Andrew’s ties to Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein?
Ghislaine Maxwell expected to formally request retrial on Wednesday
19:18 , Graeme Massie
Convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell is expected to file a request for a retrial after a juror revealed following her conviction that he was a victim of sexual abuse.
The disgraced British socialite’s legal team was reportedly set to file court papers requesting a fresh trial after she was convicted in December on five counts of aiding Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse girls as young as 14.
Following the trial, juror Scotty David told The Independent that he had been a victim of childhood sexual abuse, and that he had told fellow jurors about his experience.
He has since said that he does not even remember the question being asked on the juror form he filled in and says he would have answered it honestly if he did.
Maxwell’s lawyers say that he failed to give the court that information when he filled out a juror questionnaire before being picked to serve on the panel.
Maxwell faces up to 65 years in prison when she is sentenced later this year.
Prosecutors, who have requested that U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan conduct an inquiry into the juror’s statements, will have until Feb. 2 to respond to Maxwell’s motion, says Reuters.
Legal experts told Reuters that there is no guarantee Maxwell will be granted a retrial, as that usually happens in cases where a juror has deliberately lied to be selected.
Ghislaine Maxwell verdict, full charge list and sentencing date
18:58 , Graeme Massie
A jury found Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite accused of recruiting and grooming girls for deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein to abuse, guilty on five of the six charges against her.
She was found not guilty of one charge: enticing a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts.
Maxwell could face a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.
More details below.
Ghislaine Maxwell verdict, full charge list and sentencing date
How Prince Andrew’s legal defence has prompted accusations of victim-blaming and gaslighting
18:54 , Graeme Massie
Details of Prince Andrew’s planned defence the sexual assault lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre have led to accusations of “victim blaming” and “gaslighting” after his lawyers requested his accuser’s mental health records - including confidential notes penned from her counselling sessions.
Last week it emerged the royal is set to face a civil case over allegations he sexually assaulted Ms Giuffre in 2001 when she was only 17-years-old. The prince vehemently denies all the allegations and any wrongdoing.
Maya Oppenheim has more.
The accusations of victim-blaming and gaslighting plaguing Prince Andrew
Ghislaine, Prince Andrew and the Paedophile: Five things we learnt from new documentary
18:34 , Graeme Massie
As the British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell awaits sentencing on charges of recruiting and trafficking girls for the deceased Jeffrey Epstein to abuse, an ITV documentary has chronicled the story of the disgraced pair via exclusive interviews with friends of the financier, survivors and staff, from which surfaced unsavoury new revelations of their relationship with Prince Andrew.
Emily Atkinson has the story.
Ghislaine, Prince Andrew and the Paedophile: Five things we learnt from documentary
What were Prince Andrew’s ties to Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein?
18:16 , Graeme Massie
Prince Andrew’s presence in the Ghislaine Maxwell trial was most keenly felt in a photograph he didn’t appear in.
US government exhibit GX-347 showed a picture of Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein on a porch bench in the grounds of the Queen’s Balmoral estate in the Scottish Highlands.
Bevan Hurley has the story.
What were Prince Andrew’s ties to Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein?
Prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell may have been in relationship, former friend claims
17:58 , Graeme Massie
An ITV documentary laid bare the close relationships between Prince Andrew, Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell and revealed claims that the convicted sex trafficker went in and out of Buckingham Palace at will.
Through a series of interviews with members of their social circle, employees, and victims of Epstein and Maxwell, presenter Ranvir Singh unraveled the story of the billionaire heiress and her ultimate trial for child sex crimes.
Holly Bancroft had the story.
Prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell may have been in relationship, ex-friend claims
How original article appeared in The Independent
17:43 , Graeme Massie
Here is how the original article with Scotty David appeared in The Independent earlier this month.
‘For those who testified, for those who came forward and for those who haven’t come forward. I’m glad that Maxwell has been held accountable,’ a juror in Maxwell’s sex-trafficking trial told Lucia Osborne-Crowley.
Maxwell juror opens up to The Independent: ‘This verdict is for all the victims’
