Ghislaine Maxwell GUILTY of grooming girls for paedo Jeffrey Epstein to abuse in sex-trafficking trial

GHISLAINE Maxwell has been found guilty of sex trafficking and grooming girls for paedophile Jeffrey Epstein to abuse. The 59-year-old socialite was accused of “serving up” girls for the multi-millionaire, her former lover, with the pair described as “partners in crime”. Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein were described as ‘partners in crime’ Maxwell faced charges of sex-trafficking Pictures showing Maxwell rubbing Epstein’s feet were shown during the trial Prosecutor Maurene Comey points at Ghislaine Maxwell during the closing stages of the trial In what was described as the “trial of the century”, the jury heard how Maxwell snared girls as young as 14 for Epstein – and even joined in the abuse herself. Maxwell was found not guilty of enticing a minor to engage in an illegal sex act – one of six charges against her. On the final day of the trial on Monday, Assistant US Attorney Alison Moe summed up the prosecution case against Maxwell, who she said was a “grown woman who preyed on vulnerable kids”. The prosecutor said Maxwell was a “sophisticated predator who knew exactly what she was doing” who “ran the same playbook again and again and again”. “She manipulated her victims and groomed them. She caused deep and lasting harm to young girls,” Moe said. “Epstein could not have done this alone. When that man is accompanied by a posh, smiling, respectable, age-appropriate woman, that’s when everything starts to seem legitimate.” Most read in News DISGRACEFUL Anti-vaxx protesters storm test site and REMOVE equipment in shocking scenes NEW YEAR, NEW RULES 7 Covid restrictions that could return in January to beat Omicron FINISH THE JOB Brits urged to get boosted NOW to save country from January restrictions TOBY STARVERY My Xmas was ruined after we waited an HOUR for 'soggy' £110 Toby Carvery meal NO LOCAL LIMBO Local lockdowns WON'T return with decision on national restrictions in DAYS JANUARY BLUES UK to be hit by -4C big freeze and SNOW days after warmest New Year on record The trial delved into the seemingly glamourous but deep down seedy and abusive world of Epstein. Behind the money and fame was a his disgusting lust for underage girls and young women. At one stage, Prince Andrew, Donald Trump and Bill Clinton were drawn in, when the jury was told they had all flown on Epstein’s private jet, the so-called ‘Lolita Express’. Jurors were told about Maxwell and Epstein’s intimate relationship, how they remained friends after splitting and how she acted as his ‘Lady of the House’ to manage his staff. The jury was shown intimate pictures of her rubbing his feet, the pair kissing, and photos and paintings of her naked he kept in his house. Often sobbing as they gave evidence, four women described how they were lured into giving massages for Epstein by Maxwell, which were in fact ruses and the prelude to their abuse. One, identified only as ‘Jane’ detailed how Maxwell recruited her at summer camp and made her feel “special.” She said sexual encounters with Epstein became routine, with Maxwell sometimes present. What emerged during the trial Jury shown creepy pictures of Ghislaine Maxwell giving Jeffrey Epstein a foot massage.Maxwell and Epstein pictured lounging in the Queen’s log cabin at BalmoralGhislaine Maxwell laid out a schoolgirl outfit for her to wear while serving tea to paedo Jeffrey Epstein.Trump, Andrew and Bill Clinton all flew on Jeffrey Epstein’s private jet, the paedo millionaire’s former pilot saidMaxwell handed Epstein’s housekeeper a “degrading” 58-page booklet which shows staff were told to “see nothing and say nothing”.A framed photo of Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein kissing shown Another, going by ‘Carolyn’ said she was usually paid $300 after sexual encounters with Epstein, often by Maxwell herself. A third alleged victim was Annie Farmer, now 42, who said Maxwell fondled her breasts when she was a teenager at the New Mexico ranch owned by Epstein. The defence has also sought to portray the accounts of her four accusers as not credible. Her attorneys argued she was being treated as a stand-in for Epstein, who killed himself in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 aged 66 while awaiting trial on sex abuse charges. Defence, attorney Laura Menninger argued that Maxwell had “no motive” for the crimes she’s accused of. She asked why her client “as a happy, educated woman in her 30s would end her career as a facilitator of sexual abuse”. “They wanted you to think she was Cruella de Vil and the Devil Wears Prada all wrapped into one,” Menninger told the jury. “I am not here to defend Jeffrey Epstein. He is not my client. “The US presented evidence like a sensational tabloid. These were things that Epstein did, perhaps, his crimes. But Ghislaine Maxwell is not Epstein.” Menninger said the women were motivated to implicate Maxwell by the prospect of a payout from a victim’s compensation fund run by Epstein’s estate. The women brought personal injury lawyers with them to interviews with law enforcement agents decades after they said the abuse occurred, she told the court. “The money brought the accusers to the FBI. Memories have been manipulated in aid of the money,” she said. Maxwell was arrested suddenly in July 2020 by the FBI after being accused of going into hiding over the allegations. She was detained as she was deemed a flight risk and was repeatedly denied bail. And this has sparked a long list of complaints about her jail conditions at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. Epstein was a wealthy New York financier who amassed a multi-million dollar fortune and hung out with the world’s elite. The well-connected paedo had a infamous “little black book” including contacts for the rich and famous. Epstein was first convicted of sex offences in 2008 on a single charge of soliciting prostitution from girls as young as 14. pixel8000The pair pictured at the Queen’s log cabin at Balmoral[/caption] Epstein and Maxwell were lovers but remained close after splitting up Nicholas RazzellOne of the many pictures shown during the trial showing their intimate relataionship[/caption] Maxwell was accused of serving up girls for Epstein