A JUROR in the Ghislaine Maxwell trial has broken his silence – saying the sex-offender's guilty verdict was “for all the victims.”
Scotty David, who sat during the three-week trial in New York, said he was “glad” that justice has been served with the British socialite set to face 65-years behind bars.
Last month, the 60-year-old was found guilty of sex trafficking and grooming girls for paedophile Jeffrey Epstein to abuse, with the pair described as “partners in crime”.
The jury of six women and six men convicted her on five out of six counts as she was found not guilty of enticing a minor to engage in an illegal sex act after more than 40 hours of deliberation.
And now a jury member has spoken for the first time of his pride of holding Maxwell accountable for her heinous crimes, adding that it gave hope to high profile cases in the future.
He told the Independent, “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.”
In what was described as the “trial of the century”, the jury heard from four women who described how they were lured into abuse by Maxwell.
Most read in News
'RIDE IT OUT Boris says NO lockdown & 'it's far from over but we CAN live with it'
I brought my son to Britain for a better life – now he's going home in a coffin
School shuts entire year group with just 24hrs' notice in chaos for parents
Man in court for 'raping girl before murdering her mum, brother & pal'
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.
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.
Throughout the trial, the defence reportedly sought to portray the accounts of the quartet as without foundation as they claimed that the accuser’s memories had changed over time.
'WHAT SHE DID WAS WRONG'
But David said the jury believed all victims accounts with their testimonies corroborated by a significant amount of evidence.
“They were all believable,” he told the outlet.
“Nothing they said felt to me like a lie.”
Maxwell had assembled a crack team of experienced lawyers – include top defence attorney Bobbi Sternheim – to beat sex trafficking charges.
But her defence case lasted just two days as David suggested that the jury remained undeterred by the defence's evidence.
“She was able to show us that this was a pattern,” he explained.
“We knew we couldn’t use her testimony to convict Maxwell, but she showed the pattern of how those girls were groomed.
“She showed us the pattern that happened to all of these girls.
He continued: “It was about confusing their boundaries.”
“For Jane, it started with seeing Maxwell topless. For Annie Farmer, it started with Maxwell showing her how to give Epstein a foot massage.
“The pattern is that Ghislaine talks to you like she is also a teenager. Then it moves into massage. She tries to make you comfortable, to see what they can get away with.
“What she did was wrong.”
The juror also revealed that the accusers stories were backed by flight logs and several entries into Maxwell’s infamous “Black Book” which were referenced and released as exhibit under seal.
David added the book gave the jurors clues about how Maxwell and Epstein had evaded accountability in the past.
“Those girls’ names and phone numbers were listed next to the words ‘mom’ and ‘dad’,” he said.
“Professional masseuses do not need their parents with them.”
CASE CONTINUES
Following Maxwell's conviction, her family revealed they had already launched an appeal.
Maxwell's sister Isabel and brother Kevin attended court while sibling Ian slammed the prosecution's case and the Brit's treatment in custody.
In a statement released after the verdict, they said: "We believe firmly in our sister’s innocence – we are very disappointed with the verdict.
"We have already started the appeal tonight and we believe that she will ultimately be vindicated."
Meanwhile, her brother Ian said that Maxwell will not name names or cut a deal to reduce her 65-year jail term.
He told the Sunday Times: "Prosecution confirmed no plea bargain offers were made or received [before the trial].
"I expect that position to be maintained."
Source: Read Full Article