A US Judge has denied a retrial to British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, a former associate of Jeffrey Epstein, in the child sex trafficking and abuse case, on Friday.
Earlier, in January, Maxwell had filed a plea for retrial on the grounds that a juror named Scotty David, had disclosed being a victim of abuse, and thus, could not guarantee impartiality. The daughter of former media baron Robert Maxwell was convicted in December, 2021.
In July 2019, American financier Jeffrey Epstein was charged with sex trafficking and the exploitation of several underage girls and women. Maxwell was found to be complicit in these crimes. She had reportedly provided Epstein and his associates – including Prince Andrew and former US Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton – with several underage girls to obtain sexual favours from.
The testimonies of the four women, which became the cornerstone of the verdict, echoed similar experiences and alleged that Maxwell has used her charm and gifts to gain their trust, took an interest in their adolescent challenges, and had given them reassurances by saying that Epstein could use his wealth and connections to help them realise their dreams.
Maxwell denied all the charges against her and her defence noted that they were all “for things that Jeffrey Epstein did.” While she is facing up to 65 years of jail time, Epstein was found hanging in his cell in 2019.
After the verdict was pronounced, David had told the media that he had shared his past experience of abuse with other jurors.
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David said, “This is one of the biggest mistakes I have made in my life”. He added that he was not attentive to the questionnaire that was given out to every member who was up for a position on the jury, and called it an “inadvertent mistake.”
However, David was relieved from prosecution.
“His failure to disclose his prior sexual abuse during the jury selection process was highly unfortunate, but not deliberate,” judge Alison Nathan said. “The court further concludes that Juror 50 harboured no bias toward the defendant and could serve as a fair and impartial juror,” she added.
This is not the only case against Maxwell. She was also named in a separate lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre, who had sued Prince Andrew earlier this year for allegedly sexually assaulting her, when she was 17 years old. However, Giuffre and Andrew opted for an out-of-court settlement, in February.