Shackled and emotionless – how Ghislaine Maxwell reacted to her 20-year sentence

Maxwell stood and looked straight ahead as the sentence was passed on Tuesday.

Undated handout photo issued by US Department of Justice of Ghislaine Maxwell with Jeffrey Epstein, which has been shown to the court during the sex trafficking trial of Maxwell in the Southern District of New York. The British socialite is accused of preying on vulnerable young girls and luring them to massage rooms to be molested by Epstein between 1994 and 2004. Issue date: Wednesday December 8, 2021. (PA Media)

Ghislaine Maxwell showed no emotion as she was handed 20 years in prison and only looked at one victim throughout the entirety of her three-hour sentencing hearing.

The 60-year-old entered the courtroom in the Southern District of New York with shackles around her ankles which rattled as she made her way to her seat on Tuesday morning.

As she was asked to stand when Judge Alison Nathan passed the sentence, Maxwell elected to look straight ahead without showing any obvious signs of emotion.

Even during her lengthy and unexpected statement, the defendant remained composed and delivered it in a measured fashion.

The courtroom appeared to be taken aback by her decision to speak, with a ripple of excitement from those spectating.

Victims Sarah Ransome, Elizabeth Stein, Annie Farmer and the accuser known as “Kate” were all present in the courtroom, as well as controversial juror Scotty David, who prompted calls from Maxwell’s counsel for a retrial after he failed to disclose he was a victim of sexual abuse.

Wearing a prison-issued uniform, Maxwell was handed a Fiji water at the beginning of the hearing by her sister, Isabel, which she frequently sipped throughout, including during some uncomfortable moments.

Victim impact statements were read to the court by two of the victims listed on the indictment, Ms Farmer and Kate.

During their speeches, Maxwell looked straight ahead and did not look at them once.

The defendant did choose to look at one of her other accusers, Ms Ransome, as she delivered her statement to the court.

The three-hour hearing also saw Maxwell play with her hair and adjust her mask multiple times.