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Topics: Crime, US News, Ghislaine Maxwell
Claire Reid
Convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell has had her request for a new trial rejected.
Maxwell had made a bid for a new trial after it was revealed a juror in her federal sex trafficking trial had failed to disclose childhood sexual abuse during jury selection.
Juror No. 50 had been questioned about his failure to reveal the information, where he told a judge Alison Nathan he had been distracted while filling out the screen questionnaire.
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He said it was an ‘honest mistake’ and that he was remorseful about the omission.
In a ruling yesterday (1 April), Judge Nathan said she believed the juror’s explanation and said he gave no indication that he was biased against Maxwell.
In the ruling, Nathan said: “The court finds Juror 50 testified credibly at the hearing.
“There are many reasons for that finding. He appeared to testify frankly and honestly, even when the answers he gave were the cause of personal embarrassment and regret. His incentive at the hearing was to testify truthfully or face criminal perjury charges.”
The ruling went on: “His tone, demeanour and responsiveness gave no indication of false testimony.
“The court thus credits his testimony that he was distracted as he filled out the questionnaire and ‘skimmed way too fast’, leading him to misunderstand some of the questions.
“The court further finds that Juror 50 was not biased and would not have been stricken for cause even if he had answered each question on the questionnaire accurately.”
When Juror 50’s history came to light, Maxwell’s defence team requested a new trial and argued that his experiences meant he would be biased against her.
Judge Nathan rejected this idea, saying: “To imply or infer that Juror 50 was biased – simply because he was himself a victim of sexual abuse in a trial related to sexual abuse and sex trafficking, and despite his own credible testimony under the penalty of perjury, establishing that he could be an even-handed and impartial juror – would be tantamount to concluding that an individual with a history of sexual abuse can never serve as a fair and impartial juror in such a trial. This is not the law, nor should it be.”
Maxwell was found guilty of sex trafficking and several other charges including conspiracy to entice a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts and conspiracy to transport a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.
She is yet to be sentenced, but faces a lengthy jail sentence.
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