Ghislaine Maxwell placed on suicide watch despite not being suicidal, lawyer claims

The British socialite is waiting sentencing in a US prison after being convicted of sex trafficking

Ghislaine Maxwell with Jeffrey Epstein (US District Attorney’s Office)

Ghislaine Maxwell has been put on suicide watch despite not being suicidal, her lawyer has claimed.

The British socialite is awaiting sentencing in a US prison after being convicted last year of helping billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein abuse teenage girls.

In a letter to the judge on Saturday, her lawyer Bobby Sternheim said that she had been "abruptly removed" from the general prison population and denied access to toothpaste, soap, legal papers, and any clothes except a protective "suicide smock", rendering her unable to review documents relating to her sentencing.

“If Ms Maxwell remains on suicide watch, is prohibited from reviewing legal matters prior to sentencing, becomes sleep-deprived and is denied sufficient time to meet with and confer with counsel, we will be formally moving on Monday for an adjournment,” said Mr Sternheim.

He said that Maxwell had been assessed by a psychologist that morning and found not to be suicidal, adding: "I met with Ms. Maxwell today, after a 97-minute delay following my arrival at the facility. She is not suicidal."

Epstein himself was found dead in his cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking, in what New York City officials ruled to be a suicide by hanging.

Federal prosecutors have sought a 30-55 year sentence for Maxwell, who was convicted of recruiting and grooming girls as young as 14 to be abused by Epstein.

Maxwell's lawyers have asked the judge to give her only 4-5 years in prison, arguing that her difficult childhood made her susceptible to Epstein's influence.