A Ghislaine Maxwell juror has spoken about how the “brutal” toll of deciding the socialite’s fate brought some jury members to tears.
The juror, known by his first names Scotty David, revealed the 12 jury members felt “comfortable” with Maxwell’s guilty verdict, but said the 40 hours of deliberations had been an emotionally draining experience.
Speaking to ITV for the documentary, Ghislaine, Prince Andrew and the Paedophile, Scotty David said: “There were tears, because this is somebody’s life on the line. The prosecution had to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Ghislaine Maxwell was guilty of these crimes.
“And we all felt comfortable, but the emotional toll it took on all of us after spending a week combing through all the evidence, all the testimony again, was, it was brutal.”
The documentary also refers to the sexual abuse Scotty David suffered as a child, although he doesn’t discuss it directly.
He first revealed to the The Independent that he shared his own experience of being assaulted with other jury members during deliberations.
In a separate interview with Reuters he said did not recall being asked about sexual abuse during pre-trial selection and that he “flew through” a survey given to all prospective jurors.
Maxwell’s lawyers seized on the interviews as grounds for her conviction on five counts related to recruiting and grooming young girls for her former boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein to be thrown out.
Judge Alison Nathan has asked Maxwell’s lawyers and prosecutors from the Southern District of New York to submit filings to the court on whether Scotty David’s comments merit a formal inquiry.
Scotty David has hired high-profile lawyer Todd Spodek to represent him, and requested a copy of his own jury questionnaire.
Speaking to the ITV filmmakers, Scotty David said jurors found Annie Farmer’s testimony the most believable.
Ms Farmer was the only witness to testify under her full name, and described in vivid detail being given a sexualised massage when she was 16 by Maxwell at Epstein’s New Mexico ranch.
“She was the one that from the get-go we were all able to jump on board and believe as credible.”
The victim who testified under her first name Carolyn had been the most “gripping” witness, he said.
“I felt the most compassion for her because she literally had one of the hardest life stories. Regardless of her being arrested, or her habitually doing drugs and addicted to pain pills, what matters is did you tell the truth, did this happen to you? And she told the truth, every step of the way.”
Carolyn testified that Maxwell groped her naked body when she was 14, and told her that she had a “great body for Epstein and his friends”.
She said she was recruited to give Epstein sexualised massages in exchange for $300, with Ms Maxwell arranging the “appointments” for the underage girl and sometimes handing over the cash.
Maxwell, 60, was found guilty of five counts related to the grooming and recruiting of teenage girls for her former boyfriend Epstein in late December. She is facing up to 65 years in prison.
Judge Nathan has set a sentencing date of 28 June as she waits to resolve defence claims that a new trial should be ordered.
The Ghislaine, Prince Andrew and the Paedophile documentary also features an interview with former Buckingham Palace royal protection officer Paul Page, who shared his suspicions that Maxwell might have had a closer relationship with Prince Andrew than has been previously reported. Ghislaine, Prince Andrew And The Paedophile will be broadcast on ITV at 9pm GMT on Tuesday.
