Depraved Ghislaine betrayed those girls

As a victim of molestation, I followed the Ghislaine Maxwell trial closely. I was 13 when my uncle touched me inappropriately and, while I’m not comparing myself to any of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims, I am relieved they have got some sort of justice at last.

It’s unbelievable to look at another woman and think they were implicit in abusing vulnerable young girls.

It’s hard for victims to speak out. There’s so much shame and guilt around being abused. You have thoughts like: Am I damaged goods? Was it my fault? Why didn’t I do something earlier?

For victims to relive those details in court is harrowing.

Yet Maxwell sat there emotionless, showing no remorse. You get the impression she’s not the least bit sorry for her actions.

She didn’t seem to recognise the pain these women had been through so that she could live the high life with Epstein.

When I read about her childhood and how her dad allegedly bullied her, it feels to me that she looked at the world and said: “I was hurt and nobody came to my rescue so I won’t come to anyone else’s.”

When she was convicted she didn’t flinch but just poured herself a drink of water.

At one point during the trial she turned to the court sketcher and started drawing her. Her mind wasn’t even on what was going on in court – signalling a massive lack of empathy.

How a woman can do this to other females is abhorrent.

She was willing to hand these girls over to Epstein to fund the luxury lifestyle she was used to living and thought she was entitled to.

My heart went out to the girls who gave evidence.

The verdict was really important because it shows we live in a world where being rich and famous doesn’t mean you are above the law. The law is there to serve everyone.

The road has been long for the victims, but they have finally got justice.

If Maxwell now had any decency, she’d do the right thing and give up the names of other men who were given access to the women involved. We all feel uneasy knowing there are people out there who have abused young girls. The whole thing puts Prince Andrew in a predicament again, of course.

But if he’s innocent – and he denies any wrongdoing – he needs to come forward and provide evidence. People won’t rest until they know the truth.

He’s got loads of money for research so if he was in Pizza Express in Woking the night he allegedly had sex with Virginia Giuffre then it shouldn’t be so hard to find people who saw him there.

I know he’s out of the limelight just now, but the Queen really does need to tell him it’s time to go to America and tell the authorities everything he knows.

If he doesn’t, the British people will continue to think he’s an entitled prince who is sneering at justice.

As for Ghislaine, I don’t even think she believes what she did was wrong.

She is a depraved traitor to the sisterhood.

She seemed not the least bit sorry for her actions

GUILTY Maxwell