USA- GHISLAINE MAXWELL TRIAL LATEST

 

Ghislaine Maxwell trial latest: Photos of British socialite caressing Epstein's feet shown to court

Max Stephens, Josie Ensor, Jamie Johnson

6 hrs ago

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© US Department of Justice /PA Ghislaine Maxwell massages Jeffrey Epstein's foot aboard his private jet - US Department of Justice /PA

• Prosecution may rest case by end of this week, court hears
• Why prosecutors are targeting the mystery of Maxwell’s extraordinary wealth
• Maxwell 'told British teenager to take Jeffrey Epstein tea in school uniform'​
• Socialite used Jeffrey Epstein's cash to buy helicopter, court told
• Evidence from Jeffrey Epstein's safe 'went missing' after FBI raid
• Intimate photos reveal Maxwell and Epstein were 'partners in crime'​

Ghislaine Maxwell's criminal trial has entered its eighth day after jurors heard testimony from three women who said they were teenagers when the British socialite facilitated their sexual abuse by Jeffrey Epstein. 

It comes after a collection of  intimate photos were unveiled to jurors on Tuesday showing Ms Maxwell caressing the feet of the billionaire paedophile while aboard his private jet. 

Other pictures, recovered from an FBI raid of Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse in July 2019, depict Epstein with his arm around the British socialite or her kissing him on the cheek.

Much of the testimony from two of Ms Maxwell's accusers who have taken the stand so far has centred on massages, which prosecutors called a "ruse" to get girls to touch Epstein.

Video: Maxwell 'unlikely' to testify (Sky News)

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Maxwell 'unlikely' to testify

Attorneys acting on behalf of the alleged victims testifying against Ms Maxwell have attempted to paint a picture of her and Epstein as "partners in crime". 

Ms Maxwell, 59, has pleaded not guilty to eight counts of sex trafficking and other charges for her alleged role in recruiting and grooming girls for Epstein to abuse between 1994 and 2004.

Defence attorneys for Ms Maxwell have argued her accusers' memories have been corrupted over the years, and that she is being scapegoated for the deceased financier's conduct. 

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03:56 PM

Maxwell told me 'I had a great body' for Epstein, says accuser

The third accuser of Ms Maxwell to take the stand claimed she was groped by the British socialite when she was 14 years old.

The alleged victim, known only as Carolyn, told jurors on Tuesday that the British socialite "felt my boobs and my hips and my buttocks" before commenting "I had a great body for Mr. Epstein and his friends."

Carolyn offered some of the most explicit descriptions so far at the New York trial of Ms Maxwell's alleged grooming of underage victims, who prosecutors say were lured into "a pyramid scheme of abuse."

© Jane Rosenberg/Reuters Witness Carolyn answers question from defence attorney Jeffrey Pagliuca  - Jane Rosenberg/Reuters

At times choking up, she testified that she was a heavy drug user and middle school dropout when she was first taken to Epstein's estate in Palm Beach, Florida, by an older teenage friend, Virginia Roberts, now known as Virginia Giuffre.

They were greeted by Maxwell, who said "You can take her upstairs and show her what to do," Carolyn testified.

She said Giuffre and Epstein had sex while she watched. She added she was paid $300 in $100 bills at the end of the encounter.

"I was young and $300 was a lot of money to me," Carolyn said. After that, she became a regular at the estate, hired to perform sexualised massages.

03:36 PM

Who will be testifying today

As the sex trafficking trial of Ghislaine Maxwell enters its eight day, we are expecting the following witnesses to take the stand:

1. Janine Gill - a records keeper at Donald Trump's Mar a Lago estate in Florida.  She is predicted to bolster the evidence that Virginia Roberts’ father worked there at the time that Ms Maxwell first met Virginia.
2.  It is also likely we will hear from David Rodgers, another pilot for Jeffrey Epstein. 
3. During the evening we may also see Annie Farmer testify, the fourth and final accuser of Ms Maxwell to take the stand. She is the only one of the four accusers against Ms Maxwell to waive her anonymity. 

03:12 PM

Reminder: What are the charges against Maxwell? 

© Provided by The Telegraph The charges against Ghislaine Maxwell

03:03 PM

Ghislaine Maxwell's sister Isabel and brother Kevin arrive at court

Ghislaine Maxwell's siblings, Kevin and Isabel Maxwell, have been pictured arriving at court. 

Kevin Maxwell told reporters outside the New York courthouse last week that he had submitted a complaint to the United Nations over Ghislaine's treatment during her detention. 

© Seth Wenig/AP Kevin Maxwell said seeing his sister for the first time in 500 days gave him 'tremendous relief' - Seth Wenig/AP

Isabel Maxwell, Ghislaine's sister, has been a constant figure of support in the courtroom since the start of the trial. 

© Provided by The Telegraph Isabel Maxwell, sister of Ghislaine Maxwell, arrives for the eight day of the trial - Seth Wenig/AP

02:56 PM

Maxwell's defence seeks difficult balance in attacking accusers 

As Ghislaine Maxwell's lawyers cross-examine her accusers, they face the difficult task of casting doubt on their credibility without seeming too aggressive toward women who say they were abused, legal experts have said. 

Prosecutors have accused the British socialite of recruiting young girls to be sexually abused by financier Jeffrey Epstein, who took his own life aged 66 in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019. 

© PA/US Department of Justice An advert for a massage therapist for Epstein's Florida Palm Beach estate unveiled to jurors on Tuesday - PA/US Department of Justice 

Ms Maxwell's attorneys have already cross-examined three of the four women cited as victims in the indictment who are testifying at the trial.

They sought to undermine the witnesses' credibility by asking about inconsistencies in statements they made to law enforcement and, for two of the women, asking about past drug use.

Experts said that going after accusers aggressively could risk backfiring and alienating the jury, particularly as the #MeToo movement has brought more attention to issues of sexual abuse.

Daniel Hochheiser, a New York criminal defence attorney and former prosecutor, said: "Any good defence attorney would try to challenge the credibility of these young women, but in doing so you really have to walk a tightrope so that the jury doesn't hate you". 

02:49 PM

Maxwell and Epstein were 'partners in crime', photos reveal

A giggling young Ghislaine Maxwell squeezes boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein’s foot on board a private jet as she looks teasingly at the camera, Josie Ensor reports. 

The intimate shot of a couple appearing very much in love was shown to a New York jury in Ms Maxwell’s sex-trafficking trial on Tuesday, as part of a collection of 19 never-before-seen photographs recovered from an FBI raid of Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse in July 2019.

© PA/US Department of Justice Another shot of Ms Maxwell getting up close and personal with Epstein  - PA/US Department of Justice

They were presented by attorneys for the government, who tried on Tuesday to paint a picture for jurors of two individuals who were closer than close – "partners in crime".

© Provided by The Telegraph Maxwell and Epstein on holiday - PA/US Department of Justice

Another picture showed Epstein's foot pressed up against Ms Maxwell's chest as she rubbed it. Much of the testimony of two of her accusers who have taken the stand so far has centred on massages, which prosecutors called a "ruse" to get girls to touch Epstein.

© Provided by The Telegraph Prosecutors unveiled the photos to show Epstein and Maxwell as 'partners in crime' - PA/US Department of Justice