Ghislaine Maxwell 'Shocked & Perturbed' After Judge Denies Bid for Retrial, Brother Says

© REUTERS / JANE ROSENBERGGhislaine Maxwell appears via video link during her arraignment hearing where she was denied bail for her role aiding Jeffrey Epstein to recruit and eventually abuse of minor girls, in Manhattan Federal Court, in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S. July 14, 2020 in this courtroom sketch
Ghislaine Maxwell appears via video link during her arraignment hearing where she was denied bail for her role aiding Jeffrey Epstein to recruit and eventually abuse of minor girls, in Manhattan Federal Court, in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S. July 14, 2020 in this courtroom sketch - Sputnik International, 1920, 15.04.2022
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In early April, US Judge Alison J. Nathan denied Ghislaine Maxwell’s request for a retrial, ruling that a juror's “inadvertent mistake” in filling out his jury questionnaire form would not be enough to cause a mistrial.
Ghislaine Maxwell's brother Ian says the family is "shocked" and "perturbed" by a judge's decision to reject a retrial request.

"To say we were shocked is understated, clearly Ghislaine was also very perturbed by it, if I had to summarise it, the dice were loaded by the court. The verdict was unsafe by virtue of this juror and the decision is deeply tainted. This is going to go to appeal. It's just one of many points of appeal pretrial, in trial, post-trial and we are confident that Ghislaine will be successful on appeal", Ian Maxwell said.

He then hit out at the US judicial system: "The prosecution held an infamous press conference the day of her arrest, they pointed to a picture of Epstein and my sister, and the implication was that she was guilty which meant it was open season on Ghislaine and it's never let up."
© AP Photo / John MinchilloJeffrey Epstein Associate
Jeffrey Epstein Associate - Sputnik International, 1920, 15.04.2022
Jeffrey Epstein Associate
"There is no possibility in the English system for the prosecutor to hold a press conference and say 'this woman is guilty' before any trial has taken place. Ghislaine was depicted as some evil moll, it's grotesque. Numerous accusers who were not called in this trial, lawyers have been vociferous and none of it has been put to the test. It's just drip, drip, drip."
According to Ian, Ghislaine's case has "everything you could dream of": "It's got sex, it's got death, these guys dying in prison, it's got royalty, it's got money, it's got famous people, young girls..."
He went on to describe the "horrendous incarceration" his sister has been in for two years now, saying that aside from being put in isolation, Ghislaine is on suicide watch, and "continues to have torches shone in her eyes every 15 minutes to make sure she is still breathing".
"She is denied all kinds of rights and opportunities. It's a shocker, she was already frail mentally and physically at the start of the trial and I think this impacted for sure on whether she would give evidence in her own defence knowing what an aggressive affair that would have been".
Ian Maxwell further questioned a key accuser, Virginia Giuffre, who claimed she was trafficked by Maxwell and Epstein to have sex with powerful people, including British Prince Andrew, was never called to testify in the trial.
Britain's Prince Andrew leaves St. Mary the Virgin church in Hillington, near royal Sandringham estate, in Norfolk, Britain January 19, 2020 - Sputnik International, 1920, 08.03.2022
Judge Dismisses Prince Andrew Vs. Virginia Giuffre Sexual Abuse Case
He believes that the prosecution "realised" that Giuffre would have done "more damage" when cross-examined.
"If you have a powerful witness, whom you believe is telling the truth and whose combination of the truth and the way they can tell that truth sincerely, hand on heart, look the jury in the eye and say this happened, you are going to use that person because it's going to be very effective"
Regardless of a streak of bad luck, Ghislaine "has hope", Ian says. "She has a strong and supportive family. We have hope we are going to fight."
Maxwell's defence team had their hopes high on securing a new trial after one of the jurors revealed that he had made a mistake in filling out his jury questionnaire form by failing to mention that he was a victim of sexual abuse. The man told the media that he informed other jurors during deliberations about his own history of sexual abuse. The juror said that he could remember “some details, but not everything” when it came to his own sexual abuse experiences.
British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell appears during her arraignment hearing on a new indictment at Manhattan Federal Court in New York City, New York, U.S. April 23, 2021, in this courtroom sketch.  - Sputnik International, 1920, 02.04.2022
US Judge Denies Ghislaine Maxwell’s Bid for New Trial Despite Juror’s Mistake
However, US Judge Alison J. Nathan dismissed the request for a retrial last week, saying that the juror's mistake would not be enough to cause a mistrial. The judge established that the juror made “several direct, unambiguous statements to multiple media outlets about his own experience that do not pertain to jury deliberations, and that cast doubt on the accuracy of his responses” in the jury selection process.
In August 2021, Virginia Giuffre filed a civil case in New York under the state's Child Victims Act alleging that Prince Andrew had sexually abused her when she was 17 in London, New York, and the US Virgin Islands. Giuffre claimed that she was brought there by the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his "madam" Ghislaine Maxwell. The UK prince has repeatedly denied the allegations.
As for Maxwell, she was found guilty on 29 December of recruiting underage girls to be sexually abused by the late billionaire financier Epstein between 1994 and 2004 at his various properties. She is now facing sentencing in June, with the prospect of spending up to 60 years in a US jail. After her conviction, Maxwell was placed in a room at the prison with a psychiatrist and two other cellmates, including a guard, to make sure she's not suicidal.
Jeffrey Epstein was arrested in 2019 on charges of organising the sex trafficking of underage girls. While denying all charges and awaiting trial, the tycoon was found dead in his New York federal jail cell in 2019, with his death being ruled a suicide. In February 2022, Jean-Luc Brunel, a former modelling agent who was close to Jeffrey Epstein, and was being held in an investigation into the alleged rape and trafficking of minors for sexual exploitation was found dead in his French jail cell.
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