Scottish Daily Mail

GHISLAINE’S 6TH BAIL BID

Menacing prison guards treat her like she’s Hannibal Lecter, claims the socialite’s lawyer

- From Daniel Bates in New York

GHISLAINE Maxwell has accused prison guards of menacingly telling her ‘you’re not special’ as she made a desperate sixth bid for bail.

Maxwell, 59, claimed that during a court hearing on Monday, a guard waited until he was alone with her and became ‘verbally threatenin­g’.

The guard allegedly said: ‘You think you are special? You are not special. Remember you are in custody and the judge doesn’t care about you.’

Maxwell’s lawyer said her ‘disturbing’ treatment meant she should be bailed immediatel­y. Her conditions in the prison are so bad they are akin to the surveillan­ce of movie serial killer Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of The Lambs, claimed Bobbi Sternheim.

She also claimed that during searches she has been ‘touched in a sexually inappropri­ate manner on multiple occasions’.

Jury selection in Maxwell’s trial has begun with the first of 600 potential jurors filing into a court in New York. Over two days they will answer questions about their availabili­ty and attitudes to whittle them down to 12. According to a draft of the jury questionna­ire, they will be asked about their views on the MeToo movement and if they are prejudiced against people with ‘luxurious lifestyles’.

They will then be questioned in open court by the judge and the prosecutio­n and defence on Monday. Opening statements are due to begin on November 29. Maxwell, 59, denies procuring underage girls for Jeffrey Epstein to abuse. Her previous bail requests have all been refused.

Miss Sternheim said that Maxwell’s monitoring in the Metropolit­an Detention Center was ‘invasive’ and ‘disturbing’.

In a court filing, Miss Sternheim wrote that the male marshal assigned to Maxwell for Monday’s hearing was ‘inappropri­ately rough with and threatenin­g to her’ and, when alone with her, accused her of thinking she was ‘special’.

‘The marshal’s vitriol runs counter to the presumptio­n of innocence,’ Miss Sternheim added.

During Monday’s hearing Maxwell was seen drawing a sketch of herself as she looked at court artists drawing her. ÷One of Epstein’s victims has sued Prince Andrew’s accuser for defamation. Rinah Oh wants £15milion from Virginia Roberts for tweeting that she was involved in recruiting girls for the paedophile.

Miss Roberts claims in a lawsuit against the duke in New York that she was forced to have sex with him three times when she was 17, claims he vehemently denies.

Andrew’s lawyer Andrew Brettler referred to Miss Oh’s lawsuit earlier this week, saying there was a ‘new lawsuit filed against plaintiff’ that would ‘touch on similar issues’ to his case.

 ?? ?? Court artist: Maxwell sketches herself
Court artist: Maxwell sketches herself

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United Kingdom