Inside Ghislaine Maxwell’s bizarre behaviour in court from ‘furious’ sketching to posh hairdo before guilty verdict
THE eyes of the world watched on as Ghislaine Maxwell was last night found guilty of grooming girls for paedophile Jeffrey Epstein - but it was her odd courtroom behaviour that turned heads.
Shamed Brit socialite Maxwell, 60, is now facing spending the rest of her life in prison after being convicted of five out of six counts of sex trafficking for vile Epstein’s paedophile ring.
Maxwell helped entice vulnerable teenagers to Epstein's various properties for him to sexually abuse between 1994 and 2004.
On the final day of the trial on Monday, Assistant US Attorney Alison Moe summed up the prosecution case against Maxwell, who she said was a "grown woman who preyed on vulnerable kids”.
The prosecutor said Maxwell was a “sophisticated predator who knew exactly what she was doing” who “ran the same playbook again and again and again”.
“She manipulated her victims and groomed them. She caused deep and lasting harm to young girls,” Moe said.
Maxwell's conviction comes as:
- A legal source close to her case warned the guilty verdict could spell trouble for Prince Andrew.
- Andrew's sex assault accuser Virginia Roberts warned that "others must be held accountable".
- The socialite's family are said to have already launched an appeal.
- She will return to her hell-hole New York jail to await transfer to a federal prison.
- It's believed she may be sent to the low-security FCI Danbury in Connecticut.
- An expert described her potential future prison as "like Disneyland" compared to her current conditions.
As the verdict was handed down by a jury of six women and six men, Maxwell - branded "dangerous" by the prosecution - showed little emotion.
But her bizarre behaviour dominated her trial as continually raised eyebrows with her heavy involvement with her legal team and drastic pre-trial makeover.
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'Furious' sketching
Maxwell stunned the court room and beyond when she began "furiously" drawing a sketch artist.
Illustrator Elizabeth Williams, who has been sketching people in court for 40 years, was at a pre-trial hearing in November when Maxwell began staring at her while drawing.
The Sun exclusively revealed how the artist was taken aback when the madam swivelled round in her chair to pen her.
A picture of the tense encounter – created by fellow sketch artist Jane Rosenberg, who was also drawn by the Brit – went viral on social media.
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Maxwell also caught reporters' eyes when she again turned to draw Rosenberg for a second time when the full trial got underway - with the heiress also suspected of sketching journalists.
Will Pavia, who covered the trial for The Times, says he believes Maxwell was "trying to take back control" by drawing the artists.
Speaking on the Stories of Our Times podcast, he said: "She was drawing Jane and then her eyes swept along the bench and she started looking at me and the other reporter, Lucia Osborne-Crowley.
"Lucia said 'I think she's sketching us.' And I think she was.
"She was looking straight at us and then looking down at her notebook and then making furious jottings. It is a very strange experience.
"When she looks right at you it is quite an unnerving and startling experience. It was sort of assertive I suppose, trying to take back control in some way is what it felt like."
Pre-trial makeover
After being arrested in July 2020, Maxwell's lawyers released a photo many months later in April this year appearing to show the socialite with a black eye.
Maxwell looked gaunt with a bruise next to her left eye in the snap which was included in documents filed by her legal team.
And in November, Epstein's former lover appeared drained as she donned a prison uniform and handcuffs for a court appearance.
But later that month as her full trial got underway, new court sketches that emerged from the court room showed Maxwell had undergone a glam jailhouse makeover.
What emerged during the trial:
- Jury shown creepy pictures of Ghislaine Maxwell giving Jeffrey Epstein a foot massage.
- Maxwell and Epstein pictured lounging in the Queen's log cabin at Balmoral
- Ghislaine Maxwell laid out a schoolgirl outfit for her to wear while serving tea to paedo Jeffrey Epstein.
- Trump, Andrew and Bill Clinton all flew on Jeffrey Epstein's private jet, the paedo millionaire's former pilot said
- Maxwell handed Epstein's housekeeper a "degrading" 58-page booklet which shows staff were told to "see nothing and say nothing".
- A framed photo of Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein kissing shown
There are no photos from hearings as cameras have been banned from federal courts in the US since 1946 and televised images were also given the red light in 1972.
The disgraced heiress was drawn with freshly dyed hair - covering up her greying roots - fashioned into a bob rather than the usual pixie cut she was often snapped with during her years by Epstein's side.
Maxwell had also slung out her prison clothes and opted instead to wear her own outfits - including turtleneck jumpers, high heels and smart trousers.
Involvement with legal team
Maxwell's seemingly close involvement with her legal team was also documented in fascinating sketches as she frequently hugged her defence and passed them notes.
She was said to be "very, very engaged with her own defence" - having an unusually large hand in proceedings.
Reporter Will Pavia said Maxwell was often spotted "scrunched over her desk" making notes.
"It often feels like she is directing and marshalling her own defence," he said on the podcast near the end of the trial.
"When some of the witnesses are testifying against her sometimes she sits with her back to the wall with her arms crossed or in her lap, looking at them, or looking at the jury, but for the most part she is scrunched over her desk, writing."
Her embraces with her lawyers at the end of every day of the trial were also revealed in sketches.
Chatting with reporter before verdict
Maxwell also raised eyebrows as she engaged in a peculiar encounter with a reporter at the end of her trial.
The heiress held a "meet and greet" with a journalist in court ahead of her verdict being revealed.
One of her lawyers invited senior ABC News investigative journalist James Hill to chat with the socialite on Wednesday morning.
Maxwell was seen smiling at him as he sat on the front bench of the public gallery and introduced himself.
The pair then spent a few minutes chatting before he headed back to the press bench ahead of the judge's return to the room.
Hard stare during verdict
On Wednesday, Maxwell found guilty of sex trafficking and grooming girls for paedophile Epstein to abuse.
She was accused of “serving up” girls for the multi-millionaire, her former lover, with the pair described as “partners in crime” - claims she denied.
A jury of six women and six men convicted her on five out of six counts of grooming girls for Epstein’s warped paedophile ring.
But the Brit was found not guilty of enticing a minor to engage in an illegal sex act after more than 40 hours of deliberation.
She now faces spending the rest of her life behind bars - with a likelihood of up to 65 years in prison.
Yet as the verdict was revealed, tense Maxwell showed little emotion as a court sketch showed her with a steely hard stare - with the rest of her face concealed by a face mask.
Her family say have started the appeal process against the conviction.
And it's reported Maxwell’s conviction “could be bad news” for Prince Andrew as it's claimed she could start "naming names" in a bid to cut her lengthy prison sentence.
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