Juror No. 50, proper, from the Ghislaine Maxwell trial, leaves federal courtroom, in New York on March 8, 2022. (AP Picture/Richard Drew)
NEW YORK --
A juror instructed a decide Tuesday that failing to reveal his youngster abuse historical past throughout jury choice on the trial of British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was one of many largest errors of his life — however an unintentional one.
“I didn’t lie as a way to get on this jury,” the juror mentioned.
A U.S. decide questioned the juror extensively as a part of an effort to resolve whether or not the revelation about his private historical past as a intercourse abuse survivor will spoil the decision within the intercourse trafficking trial.
Attorneys for Maxwell — who was current within the courtroom, clad in a darkish blue jail smock — say the decision needs to be thrown out. Maxwell’s legal professionals probably may have objected to the person’s presence on the jury, on the grounds that he may not be honest to an individual accused of an analogous crime.
Maxwell, 60, was convicted in late December of serving to financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse a number of teenage women from 1994 to 2004.
Sitting in a courtroom witness field, the juror repeatedly expressed remorse as U.S. District Choose Alison J. Nathan requested him dozens of questions on why he did not reveal repeated incidents of sexual abuse by two folks at age 9 and 10 on a questionnaire throughout the jury choice course of.
The juror mentioned he “skimmed means too quick” by way of the questionnaire.
“This is likely one of the largest errors I've ever made in my life,” the juror recognized solely as Juror No. 50 mentioned as he appeared straight on the decide.
“I flew by way of the questions,” he mentioned, including that he was “tremendous distracted” by close by conversations and actions of potential jurors who dropped off their accomplished questionnaires just some ft from him. “I actually by no means thought I might be chosen for this jury.”
The juror mentioned he additionally incorrectly answered a query asking if he'd ever been against the law sufferer, partially as a result of the intercourse abuse he endured “would not outline me.”
“I don't really feel I'm a sufferer of against the law,” he mentioned. “It’s not one thing I take into consideration. It occurred so way back and it’s not a part of who I'm.”
The decide gave legal professionals within the case till March 15 to submit authorized briefs on whether or not the decision needs to be put aside. Maxwell’s sentencing is scheduled for June.
The juror did a number of media interviews after the trial during which he revealed he'd been abused. He described persuading some fellow jurors throughout deliberations that a sufferer’s imperfect reminiscence of abuse doesn’t imply it didn’t occur.
All potential jurors within the case had been requested to fill out a screening kind in early November that requested: “Have you ever or a pal or member of the family ever been the sufferer of sexual harassment, sexual abuse, or sexual assault? (This contains precise or tried sexual assault or different undesirable sexual advance, together with by a stranger, acquaintance, supervisor, instructor, or member of the family.)”
The juror checked “No.” The juror mentioned within the interviews he didn’t keep in mind being requested that query, which was No. 48 on the shape.
The decide granted the juror immunity earlier than he answered questions for about an hour. He mentioned he would invoke his Fifth Modification privilege with out it.
Maxwell legal professionals in January requested the decide to instantly order a brand new trial after the juror's public statements, however Nathan mentioned she couldn't achieve this with out questioning the juror.
Outdoors courtroom, Maxwell's sister, Isabel, mentioned the household hoped a brand new trial can be ordered.
“A full and neutral jury is the very foundation of the felony justice system and it should be preserved,” she mentioned.
Maxwell was convicted of intercourse trafficking and different prices after a monthlong trial that featured testimony from 4 ladies who mentioned she performed a job in setting them up for abuse by Epstein.
Epstein, 66, killed himself in August 2019 as he awaited trial at a federal jail in New York on associated intercourse trafficking prices.
Maxwell says she’s harmless.
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