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- BBC News World
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image source, Getty Images
Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in 2005
Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced Tuesday to 20 years in a US prison for helping former US financier Jeffrey Epstein abuse young girls.
Maxwell, 60, was convicted last December of recruit and traffic a four teenagers so that Epsteinher then boyfriend, sexually abused them.
One of the accusers said outside court, before the sentence was known, that Maxwell should remain in prison for the rest of his life.
Epstein committed suicide in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019, while awaiting his own trial for sex trafficking.
The Ghislaine Maxwell crimes occurred over a decade, between 1994 and 2004.
In sentencing, Judge Alison J. Nathan called Maxwell’s conduct “appalling and predatory.” “Maxwell worked with Epstein to select young victims who were vulnerable and [ella] played a critical role in facilitating sexual abuse,” he added.
image source, Archyde.com
A court sketch shows Ghislaine Maxwell arriving in prison clothes.
The magistrate said that the case required a “very significant sentence” and that he wanted to send an “unequivocal message” that such crimes would be punished. In addition to the prison sentence, the judge imposed a a lot of US $ 750,000. Maxwell, dressed in prison clothes, looked straight ahead and showed no emotion as the sentence was handed down in front of a packed courtroom.
“A Permanent Stain”
Before knowing the sentence, Maxwell apologized to the victims.
He said he empathized with them and that meeting Epstein is the thing he regrets the most in life.
“My association with Epstein will leave a permanent stain on me”he said, adding that he hopes his sentence will allow the victims “peace and closure.”
image source, PA/ US Department of Justice
Maxwell has been in custody since her arrest in July 2020, held primarily at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center, where she complained of the stench of raw sewage in her cell. The case once morest the British ex-socialite was one of the most high-profile. since the rise of movement #MeToowhich encouraged women to report sexual abuse.
high society woman
Born on the outskirts of Paris on Christmas Day 1961, Maxwell grew up in a country mansion, attended Oxford University and speaks several languages.
She is the youngest daughter of newspaper magnate Robert Maxwell and has eight siblings.
She is said to have had a very close relationship with her late father and following his death in 1991, Maxwell left the UK for the US, where he worked in real estate, and soon following met Epstein.
She sold her house in Manhattan in 2016 and kept a low profile until she was arrested in July 2020 at her mansion in the state of New Hampshire (northeastern United States).
“It shouldn’t have been so hard”
image source, EPA
Sarah Ransome and Elizabeth Stein, alleged sexual abuse victims of Jeffrey Epstein, were in court.
The judge allowed four women to speak at the sentencing hearing, in addition to a statement being read from one of the victims, Virginia Giuffre, who was absent.
Annie Farmer, the only victim to testify in full by name during the trial, was the first to speak. Maxwell chose not to look at Farmer throughout her statement, while the latter had to pause in the middle of her statement. speech to contain your emotions.
Sarah Ransome, who did not testify at trial, delivered a shocking statement outside of court along with fellow complainant Elizabeth Stein. “Ghislaine must die in prison because I’ve been to hell and back for the last 17 years.”Ransom said.
“I was 10 years old when Liz Stein was being trafficked. I was 10 years old. That’s how long this sex trafficking ring has been running. And it should have been enough.” [la denuncia de] just a survivor to be taken seriously. It shouldn’t have been that hard,” she added.
During the trial, Farmer and three other women, identified in court only by name or pseudonym to protect their privacy, testified that they were abused as minors at Epstein’s homes in Florida, New York, New Mexico and the Virgin Islands.
They recounted how Maxwell had convinced them to give Epstein massages that turned sexual, enticing them with gifts and promises regarding how the businessman might use his money and connections to help them.
image source, US Department of Justice
Maxwell’s lawyers tried to portray their client as a positive influence on other inmates in jail, offering to teach them yoga and help them learn English.
The crimes of Epstein, who was associated with some of the most famous people in the world, were first published in the media in 2005. After numerous lawsuits, he was arrested on July 6, 2019 in New Jersey.
He had previously avoided conviction on similar charges in a controversial secret deal in 2008 in which he agreed to plead guilty to a lesser charge.
Epstein committed suicide on August 10, 2019 in the cell where he was imprisoned in New York while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy. He was 66 years old.
The billionaire had pleaded not guilty. He faced up to 45 years in prison if convicted.
Before the criminal cases once morest him, he was known for his wealth and high-profile contacts.
He was often seen socializing with the rich and powerful, including former Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, and Britain’s Prince Andrew.
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