Ghislaine Maxwell news: Lawyers file for retrial in sex trafficking case over juror’s revelations

Lawyers submit documents under seal requesting new trial after juror revealed he was victim of sexual abuse

Ghislaine Maxwell juror says ‘brutal’ trial deliberations left them in tears while socialite was ‘like a stone'

Ghislaine Maxwell’s legal team have formally requested her conviction to be overturned and the case go to a retrial, following revelations that one of the jurors in her sex-trafficking case was himself a victim of sexual abuse.

In a letter to the court, Maxwell’s lawyers wrote that they have filed her “motion for a new trial”.

They added: “For the reasons set forth in the motion, we request that all submissions pertaining to juror No. 50 remain under seal until the court rules on the motion.”

Following Maxwell’s conviction on five counts of sex trafficking and other crimes, it emerged that one of the jurors in the trial had himself been a victim of sexual abuse.

The juror, Scotty David, told several news outlets that he had been abused as a child and said he spoke to the other jurors of his experience of being sexually abused.

Maxwell’s legal team are arguing that Mr David’s comments necessitate a retrial.

Key Points

• Read in full: Ghislaine Maxwell files request for retrial over juror’s revelation of own sexual abuse
• Scotty David: Who is the Ghislaine Maxwell juror who sparked calls for a retrial?
• How the original interview with Scotty David appeared in The Independent

[20 January 2022 08:14 · Holly Bancroft]

Read in full: Ghislaine Maxwell files request for retrial over juror’s revelation of own sexual abuse

Lawyers for socialite and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell have formally requested her case go to a retrial, after one of the jurors in her case revealed he was himself a victim of sexual abuse.

Maxwell, 60, was convicted on five counts of sex trafficking and other crimes for recruiting and grooming teenage girls to have sexual encounters with the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Read the breaking news story here:

[20 January 2022 08:19 · Holly Bancroft]

How the original article appeared in The Independent

Here is how the original interview with juror Scotty David appeared in The Independent earlier this month.

The interview revealed that Scotty David believed the witness testimonies because he himself is a survivor of sexual abuse.

He told Lucia Osborne-Crowley : “This verdict is for all the victims. 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.”

Read the full story here:

[20 January 2022 08:40 · Holly Bancroft]

Prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell may have been in a relationship, former friend claims

A former university friend of Ghislaine Maxwell has said that he believes she could have been in a relationship with Prince Andrew.

Speaking to an ITV documentary about the connections between Maxwell, Epstein and Prince Andrew, Euan Rellie said: “[Maxwell] described Andrew being her friend, not Jeffrey’s.

“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.”

Read the full details from the documentary here:

[20 January 2022 09:05 · Holly Bancroft]

Scotty David: Who is the Ghislaine Maxwell juror who sparked calls for a retrial?

A Ghislaine Maxwell juror, known by his first names Scotty David, is now at the centre of efforts by the socialite’s lawyers to overturn her conviction.

Scotty David has spoken about how the “brutal” toll of deciding Maxwell’s fate brought some of the jury members to tears.

Read more about Scotty David and the comments he has made since the trial here:

[20 January 2022 09:30 · Holly Bancroft]

What were Prince Andrew’s ties to Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein?

Prince Andrew’s connections with Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein have recently be re-examined in a revealing ITV documentary.

So, Bevan Hurley asks, what were Prince Andrew’s ties to the pair and what can a photo presented to Maxwell’s trial tell us about their relationships?

Read the full story here:

[20 January 2022 11:05 · Holly Bancroft]

What have legal experts said about the chances of Maxwell’s retrial?

A former legal prosecutor has said that there is “now a very real possibility” of a retrial of Ghislaine Maxwell.

Speaking to The Washington Post, Jason P W Halperin, a former prosecutor in the US attorney’s office in Manhattan, said: “This juror has no idea what kind of a chaotic chain reaction he has unleashed.”

He added: “There is now a very real possibility that there will have to be a new trial”.

In Maxwell’s case, dozens of jurors were released from service based on their questionnaire answers.

Lindsay K Gerdes, a former federal and state prosecutor, said: “Most of these motions are dismissed out of hand. But this is one that is getting immediate attention and very well may have a positive outcome for the defendant here.”

[20 January 2022 11:50 · Holly Bancroft]

Second juror discloses background of sexual abuse

A second juror has said that they were sexually abused as a child, in an interview with The New York Times.

The juror, who requested anonymity, said that they had discussed their experiences with the jury during deliberations in Ghislaine Maxwell’s trial on sex trafficking charges.

This comes after juror Scotty David said he has been sexually abused as a child and that this informed his decision in Maxwell’s trial.

[20 January 2022 12:30 · Holly Bancroft]

‘Nothing wrong’ with jurors bringing in their own personal experience, says former prosecutor

Arlo Devlin-Brown, a former US federal prosecutor, has told The New York Times that “generally there is nothing wrong with jurors bringing their personal experience into deliberations”, as long as they follow the judge’s instructions.

However he also said that if the jurors had been dishonest during their selection process that “goes to the very integrity of the proceedings and credible allegations of such are taken very seriously”.

[20 January 2022 12:50 · Holly Bancroft]

Maxwell’s lawyers have filed for a retrial - what happens next?

The court has set a deadline of February 2 for the government’s response to the motion for a new trial.

February 9 has been set as the date for the defence reply.

[20 January 2022 13:20 · Holly Bancroft]

Victims’ lawyer: ‘I am upset’ at retrial application

Lawyer Jill Greenfield, who represented alleged UK victims of Epstein in civil claims, told the PA news agency: “I am upset for the victims and those that gave evidence at trial. To have done that once is obviously very difficult for them but the uncertainty surrounding this is, I am sure, causing them a great deal of anxiety.”