Juror in Ghislaine Maxwell Trial Shares His Own Experience of Sexual Abuse, Hails Guilty Verdict

Ghislaine Maxwell faces decades in prison after a New York jury found her guilty on five of six charges related to the sex trafficking of underage girls.

A juror in the sex trafficking trial of Ghislaine Maxwell has said that he voted to find late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein's associate guilty because he trusted the stories told by all of the accusers despite the defence's attacks on their credibility.

In an interview with The Independent, Scotty David, who asked to be identified only by his first and middle names, argued that "they [the accusers] were all believable. Nothing they said felt to me like a lie".

He added that during the trial, the accusers corroborated each other and their stories were backed up by other evidence.

David told the newspaper that he was proud to be part of holding Maxwell accountable for her crimes, stressing that "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. This verdict shows that you can be found guilty no matter your status", he underlined.

David explained that he had shared his own experience of being sexually abused as a child when some of the jurors wondered why the girls didn't come forward earlier.

"I didn't disclose my abuse until I was in high school", he said, adding that some jurors also had questions about why the girls continued to go back to Epstein and Maxwell and accepted their assistance.

According to The Independent, he told his fellow jurors that they had not gathered to "judge these victims [….]".

"We are here to judge whether we believe their stories, but we are not here to judge the decisions they made or didn't make. We cannot judge what they did or didn't do afterward. It doesn't change that it happened", David emphasised.

The comments come a week after a New York Jury found Maxwell guilty on five charges, including sex trafficking of a minor, transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, and three counts of conspiracy.

US attorney Damian Williams said in a statement after the verdict, that Maxwell was found guilty of "one of the worst crimes imaginable – facilitating and participating in the sexual abuse of children".

"Crimes that she committed with her long-time partner and co-conspirator, Jeffrey Epstein. The road to justice has been far too long. But, today, justice has been done. I want to commend the bravery of the girls - now grown women - who stepped out of the shadows and into the courtroom. Their courage and willingness to face their abuser made this case, and today's result, possible", Williams underscored.

The daughter of late newspaper publisher Robert Maxwell, Epstein’s "madam" was detained on 2 July 2020 on federal charges related to her procuring of young girls for the disgraced financier, who committed suicide in a New York detention centre while awaiting trial in August 2019 for illegal sex acts and lying to US federal investigators, according to the official version.

The cause of his death, however, remains disputed amid conspiracy theories speculating over whether he was murdered to prevent him from testifying against his high-profile friends, including Prince Andrew, as well as former US Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton.

Ghislaine Maxwell now faces up to 65 years behind bars, with the 60-year-old's sentencing hearing yet to be announced.