Ghislaine Maxwell, centre, in the courtroom during her sex trafficking trial in New York (Elizabeth Williams/AP)
(Picture: AP)A juror in the Ghislaine Maxwell trial has admitted that he made an "inadvertent mistake" when he failed to disclose that he was a sexual abuse victim on a screening questionnaire.
Juror No 50 denied that he had lied and misled the court while filling out the pre-trial screening document.
Maxwell, 60, was convicted last December of sex trafficking and other charges for recruiting and grooming underage girls for financier Jeffrey Epstein to abuse between 1994 and 2004. Epstein took his own life in 2019 in a New York jail while awaiting his own sex trafficking trial.
Days after the verdict, Juror No 50 told media outlets that he had shared his experience of abuse with other jurors after some had questioned recollections from two of Maxwell's accusers.
A hearing at a federal court in New York will determine whether Maxwell will be granted a retrial. Mr David was questioned for around an hour on Tuesday by US District Judge Alison Nathan.
The screening process, known as voire dire, seeks to rule out candidates because of possible bias and allows both sides several “pre-emptory challenges” to exclude a juror they feel could be prejudiced.
Asked why he failed to disclose his experiences in the jury questionnaire at a hearing on Tuesday, Juror No 50 said it was "an inadvertent mistake".
"This is one of the biggest mistakes I’ve ever made in my life and if I could go back and change everything and slow down and take my time, then I would in a heartbeat," he said.
He went on to claim that he "flew through" the questionnaire.
"This is a terrible excuse, but I really didn't think I'd be chosen," he testified. "I never thought I would be one of those 12."
Maxwell, 60, faces up to 65 years in prison for her conviction.
Lawyers in the case will submit legal briefs next week, with Judge Nathan to reach a decision afterwards.
