Maxwell to appeal against conviction by claiming sexually abused juror was biased

GHISLAINE MAXWELL is understood to have lodged an appeal against her sex trafficking conviction yesterday, arguing that a juror who was sexually abused as a child swayed the panel against her.

The former socialite and daughter of the late media tycoon Robert Maxwell was jailed for 20 years last June after being convicted of procuring young girls for the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Her appeal will be based on alleged “errors” by the US government and the district court, The Daily Telegraph understands. One of the jurors, known as Scotty David, failed to disclose his own experience of childhood sexual abuse during jury selection, only revealing it in a newspaper interview after the trial.

Later questioned about the omission in court, he told judge Alison Nathan he was distracted when he filled out the screening questionnaire for potential panellists. The sexual abuse and assault question on the survey was considered vital to the process of picking a fair panel.

Maxwell’s lawyers have said he should never have been a member of the jury and will argue on appeal that his false statements denied her the right to a fair trial. They will also say that “he used his undisclosed prior experience to convince other jurors she was guilty”.

For a chance of success of appeal, they will have to show that Mr David purposefully lied and that his revelation improperly influenced the panel.

Maxwell, 61, will also claim that she was prosecuted as a “proxy” for Epstein as the state sought to cover up its incompetence and satisfy public outrage over his crimes.

Her lawyers believe she was made the scapegoat after a litany of failings that allowed Epstein to strike a non-prosecution agreement and evade justice before he died. He was found hanged in his prison cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex offences.

In a statement released last night, Maxwell’s family said she had been “outrageously criminalised in the eyes of the world” by William Barr, the then US Attorney General, who was “embarrassed” by Epstein’s death on his watch.

“He needed a proxy and, in Ghislaine, found his victim,” they said.

‘Scotty David used his undisclosed prior experience to convince other jurors she was guilty’