Did she groom girls for Epstein or is she being punished for his crimes? It’s finally time for Maxwell to tell her story
For a woman known around the world, who has been the focus of documentaries, podcasts and endless news coverage, Ghislaine Maxwell still remains an enigma.
She has said very little publicly in the two decades since sexual abuse allegations about her friend Jeffrey Epstein began to surface.
We do not know how Maxwell met the late financier and paedophile, what the true nature of their relationship was, or how she funded her extravagant lifestyle.
Today, Maxwell will go on trial in New York accused of sexual offences, including that she conspired to entice girls as young as 14 to engage in illegal sex acts with Epstein from 1994 to 1997 at his homes in New York City, Florida, and New Mexico – and at her residence in London.
She denies the charges and has pleaded not guilty, but if convicted on all counts she will likely spend the rest of her life in jail.
It is finally time for Maxwell to tell her side of the story.
The defence
Maxwell’s lawyers may argue that she too was a victim of Epstein. Others employed by the financier and convicted sex offender have used the same defence.
It is highly likely Maxwell’s lawyers will claim she is being punished for Epstein’s crimes. They may say that prosecutors failed to convict him, failed to keep him alive, and now need someone else to blame for their own shortcomings.
Maxwell’s brother Ian has voiced another likely defence argument: that the “tremendous weight of negative publicity” means he is “fearful” a fair trial is not possible.
The defence team are expected to try to undermine the credibility of the four alleged victims by claiming some are motivated by money.
Over $125m (£94m) from Epstein’s estate has been distributed to around 150 victims.
As the alleged offences were committed between 17 and 27 years ago, an expert witness on “false memories” will be called to give evidence.
Professor Elizabeth Loftus will likely argue that media coverage and contact with other victims can lead to them forming incorrect memories of abuse.
Maxwell’s lawyers will also return to arguments around consent that were a feature of pre-trial hearings.
The third alleged victim in this trial was 17 years old when prosecutors say she was abused in London. However, the age of consent in the UK is 18.
The decision over whether Maxwell takes the stand and testifies is likely to be made late on in the trial, once the prosecution has rested its case. But it has its dangers.
“A defendant testifying is always risky,” said defence attorney Dmitriy Shakhnevich.
“Because the defendant will open him or herself up to cross-examination, to examination as to prior bad acts to prior criminal conduct to prior, possibly even immoral conduct.”
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Who is Ghislaine Maxwell?
The prosecution
The testimonies of the four alleged victims will be at the heart of the prosecution case, with only one, Annie Farmer, waiving her anonymity.
Ms Farmer claims she was abused by Epstein at his New Mexico ranch in 1996.
In an interview with CBS in 2019 she said: “Maxwell was a really important part of the grooming process… They worked together as a team.”
Virginia Roberts Giuffre, the most prominent of Epstein’s accusers, is not expected to be part of the trial.
Supporting witnesses will be called. There may be significant but yet-to-be-revealed people who have agreed to co-operate with the government and provide testimony.
An expert witness on grooming, Dr Lisa Rocchio, will give evidence.
In a pre-trial hearing, she told the court that academic studies have concluded there are common strategies in grooming of children: starting with gaining access and isolating a victim, then developing trust, and later desensitising them to physical and sexual contact.
Prosecutors intend to use a “little black book” of contacts, including names and phone numbers of alleged victims, as further evidence.
It is also possible the government will present video footage from the extensive CCTV systems Epstein installed in his homes.
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‘I don’t see her administering black eye to herself’
Epstein’s web
Maxwell’s trial is keenly awaited, not just because the alleged victims have been waiting decades for justice, but because of the web of high society contacts she and Epstein boasted in the worlds of fashion, politics, business and royalty.
The pair were close to Prince Andrew and Donald Trump. In a 2003 magazine profile, Mr Trump infamously said of Epstein: “He likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”
Epstein had links to Bill Clinton, Bill Gates and Lex Wexner, the owner of fashion chain Victoria’s Secret.
The chief executive of Barclays, Jes Staley, resigned from the company earlier this month over his contacts with the financier.
Some argue the fact the defendant is female is also significant.
“Given where we are in this moment in time with the #MeToo movement, this is the first time you’ve got a woman so publicly on trial for these kind of crimes,” said Vicky Ward, the investigative journalist who first met Maxwell in the 1990s.
Whatever the verdict in this trial, it may not be the last to involve Epstein’s associates. Many civil cases are also under way between various parties linked to the saga.
Ghislaine Maxwell’s trial will certainly provide answers, but it is unlikely to solve all the mysteries surrounding the case. The Epstein/Maxwell jigsaw puzzle is far from complete.
A Mexican navy ship has hit the Brooklyn Bridge during a promotional tour in New York City.
The New York Fire Department said authorities were responding to injuries but had no details about how many people might have been hurt or whether they were on the vessel or on the bridge.
Sky’s US partner network NBC News reports that at least three people were seriously injured in the incident.
The Mexican navy said in a post on X that the Cuauhtemoc, an academy training vessel, was damaged in the accident, which has prevented it from continuing its voyage.
Eyewitness video of the collision posted online showed the mast of the ship, which was flying a large Mexican flag, scraping the underneath of the bridge.
Pic: AP
The vessel then drifted toward the edge of the river as onlookers scrambled away from shore.
The Mexican navy said the status of personnel and material was under review by naval and local authorities, which were providing assistance.
The Cuauhtemoc is about 297ft long and 40ft wide, according to the Mexican navy. It sailed for the first time in 1982.
Pic: AP
Each year, it sets out at the end of classes at the naval military school to finish cadets’ training.
It left the Mexican port of Acapulco, on the Pacific coast, on 6 April with 277 people onboard, the navy said at the time.
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One person has died in a bomb explosion near a reproductive health clinic in California, authorities have said.
The incident took place in Palm Springs, a city two hours east of Los Angeles, and is being investigated as a possible car explosion.
The city’s mayor Ron DeHarte said one person died in the blast, adding that the bomb was “either in or near” a vehicle. The deceased’s identity is not known, Palm Springs police said.
Dr Maher Abdallah, who runs the American Reproductive Centers clinic, told the Associated Press his facility was damaged but all staff were safe and accounted for.
The explosion damaged the office space where the practice conducts patient consultations, but the IVF lab and stored embryos were unharmed, he added.
“I really have no clue what happened,” he said. “Thank God today happened to be a day that we have no patients.”
Debris covers the ground after the explosion. Pic: ABC7 Los Angeles/AP
In a statement posted on Facebook the clinic said it was “heartbroken” to learn someone died in the explosion and added: “Our deepest condolences go out to the individuals and families affected.”
It continued: “Our mission has always been to help build families, and in times like these, we are reminded of just how fragile and precious life is.
“In the face of this tragedy, we remain committed to creating hope – because we believe that healing begins with community, compassion, and care.
The clinic will be fully operational on Monday, it added.
“This moment has shaken us – but it has not stopped us. We will continue to serve with strength, love, and the hope that brings new life into the world,” the statement concluded.
Pic: ABC7 Los Angeles/AP
The Palm Springs city government said in a post on Facebook that the explosion happened on North Indian Canyon Drive, near East Tachevah Drive, before 11am local time (6pm GMT).
A burned-out car can be seen in a parking lot behind the building in aerial footage.
The blast caved in the clinic’s roof and blew debris across four lanes of the road.
Another person said he was inside a cannabis dispensary nearby when he felt a massive explosion.
Nima Tabrizi said: “The building just shook, and we go outside and there’s massive cloud smoke.”
Investigators from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are travelling to the scene to help assess what happened.
California governor Gavin Newsom has been briefed on the explosion, his press office said.
A former FBI director has been interviewed by the US Secret Service over a social media post that Republicans say was a call for violence against President Donald Trump.
James Comey, who led the FBI from 2013 until he was fired in 2017 by Mr Trump during his first term in office, shared a photo of seashells appearing to form the numbers “86 47”.
James Comey later removed the Instagram post. File pic: AP
He captioned the Instagram post: “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.”
Some have interpreted the post as a threat, alleging that 86 47 means to violently remove Mr Trump from office, including by assassination.
Mr Comey later removed the post, saying he thought the numbers “were a political message” and that he was not aware that the numeric arrangement could be associated with violence.
“I didn’t realise some folks associate those numbers with violence. It never occurred to me, but I oppose violence of any kind, so I took the post down,” Mr Comey said.
Mr Trump rejected the former FBI director’s explanation, telling Fox News: “He knew exactly what that meant. A child knows what that meant… that meant assassination.”
Donald Trump Jr accused Mr Comey of “casually calling for my dad to be murdered”.
US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed in a post on X that Mr Comey had been interviewed as part of “an ongoing investigation” but gave no indication of whether he might face further action.
The Secret Service is part of the Department of Homeland Security.
White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich said Mr Comey had put out “what can clearly be interpreted as a hit on the sitting president of the United States”.
“This is deeply concerning to all of us and is being taken seriously,” Mr Budowich wrote on X.
Another White House official James Blair said the post was a “Clarion Call (…) to terrorists & hostile regimes to kill the President of the United States as he travels in the Middle East”.
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Mr Trump fired Mr Comey in May 2017 for botching an investigation into 2016 democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, the White House said at the time.
While Mr Comey was the director of the FBI, the agency opened an investigation into possible collusion between the Trump 2016 presidential campaign and Russia to help get Mr Trump elected.
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