Maxwell family seek food, soap for sister as trial continues
The family of the British woman charged with helping the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein exploit underage girls has asked the U_S_ attorney general to improve the treatment she is receiving during her trial “in the interest of justice and common humanity.”
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The family of the British woman charged with helping the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein exploit underage girls has asked the U.S. attorney general to improve the treatment she is receiving during her trial “in the interest of justice and common humanity.”
Ghislaine Maxwell’s family have written to Attorney General Merrick B. Garland requesting that authorities stop using four-point restraints to shackle her hands, waist and feet when she is moved from a holding cell to the courtroom, and that she receive a food pack and a bar of soap each day.
The family also asked that she be allowed to meet with her attorneys for at least 30 minutes before and after each day’s proceedings.
The restraints cause bruising, broken skin and other “unnecessary trauma,” the family said in a statement obtained by The Associated Press.
They also complained that she received “minimal sustenance” during the first week of her trial, had no access to soap or hand sanitizer despite the risk of COVID-19 and was only allowed to confer with her attorneys in areas where they were likely to be heard by prosecutors.
“Ghislaine’s physical welfare and her right to have proper and timely access to her counsel during the trial have been entirely overlooked,’’ the family said. “On behalf of their sister, her brothers and sisters urge Attorney Garland to intervene immediately today to grant the simple, fair and just remedies requested.’’
Federal prosecutors allege Maxwell, 59, groomed girls as young as 14 to have sex with Epstein and lied about her knowledge of his crimes when she testified in an earlier case. Her trial began Nov. 29 in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.
Maxwell and her family have repeatedly complained about the conditions under which she has been held for the past 17 months, saying they were damaging her health and preventing her from mounting an adequate defense. Judge Alison J. Nathan has rejected several requests for bail, citing concerns that Maxwell could flee.
Her family said they are now going directly to Garland because he has ultimate responsibility agencies involved in their sister’s custody and transportation, including the U.S. Marshals Service and the Bureau of Prisons
Garland should intervene “in the interest of justice and common humanity to change the shocking daily regime which Ghislaine is subject to during her trial,” the family said.