Maxwell claimed she had stopped taking showers because “creepy guards stand close and stare at me the whole time,” and that she suffered “inhumane” solitary confinement.
Lawyers for Maxwell have previously claimed she endured jail conditions comparable to Hannibal Lecter’s in the 1991 filmThe Silence of the Lambs,at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn.
Jury selection has begun ahead of a trial which is due to begin on Nov 29.
Epstein killed himself at age 66 in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges,in what a medical examiner called a suicide.
Maxwell has pleaded not guilty to allegations that she conspired with and aided Epstein’s abuse of minor girls between 1994 and 2004. This week her defence team gave an insight into their legal strategy for the case.
Jeffrey Pagliuca,Maxwell’s lawyer,told the judge they plan to attack the credibility of the prosecution’s witnesses and alleged victims,questioning why they did not come forward with allegations against Maxwell until after Epstein’s death,as well as pointing to previous “substance abuse”.
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The Maxwell team suffered an early blow on Wednesday,however,when Judge Alison Nathan ruled to allow one of the prosecution’s star experts,Lisa Rocchio,a clinical psychologist with expertise in traumatic stress,who explained to the court why some victims delay reporting abuse.
Dr Rocchio spoke of common patterns of grooming of children:starting with gaining access and isolating a victim,then developing trust,rewarding them with gifts and later desensitising them to physical and sexual contact.
The prosecution has claimed that the Briton would pick out young women and girls for her ex-boyfriend Epstein to abuse.
The indictment against Maxwell claims she and Epstein would “build friendships” with alleged victims by taking them to the cinema or shopping.
On Monday,Judge Nathan will hear whether to admit Maxwell’s expert on “false memory”,who previously testified for other high-profile defendants.
Elizabeth Loftus,a psychologist who frequently testifies about “false memories” of traumatic events,was a defence witness at Harvey Weinstein’s trial in 2020.
The government,however,argues Loftus should not be permitted to offer opinions on witness credibility.
“Such opinions would be highly prejudicial and inflammatory,would confuse and mislead the jury,and would invade the fundamental province of the jury in determining witness credibility,” prosecutors wrote.
Judge Nathan is also expected to rule on whether to exclude testimony from one the four alleged victims,who cannot be named for legal reasons but is understood to be British.
Such a development so close to the trial could undermine the government’s case.
The Telegraph,London
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