Abuse victims say ‘justice served’ by Ghislaine Maxwell conviction

Accusers find ‘solace’ in guilty verdicts as Maxwell's family and lawyer vow an appeal

Ghislaine Maxwell, right, an associate of Jeffrey Epstein, left, could spend the rest of her life behind bars following her conviction on Wednesday. PA

Victims who suffered sexual abuse at the hands of late billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell have said they felt vindicated by this week’s guilty verdicts in Maxwell's trial.

Annie Farmer and others who had accused Maxwell and Epstein of grooming and abusing them as teenagers say Maxwell’s conviction of sex trafficking and other charges affirmed their pain and suffering.

Maxwell, 60, could spend the rest of her life behind bars following her conviction on Wednesday.

Epstein killed himself in 2019 in a Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial for sex abuse charges.

“I am so relieved and grateful,” Ms Farmer, one of four victims who gave evidence in the month-long trial, said in a statement.

“She has caused hurt to many more women than the few of us who had the chance to testify in the courtroom. I hope that this verdict brings solace to all who need it and demonstrates that no one is above the law.”

Three other women gave evidence in a Manhattan federal court in which they said they had been abused as teenagers in the 1990s and early 2000s at money-manager Epstein’s luxury homes in Florida, New York and New Mexico.

Jurors deliberated for five full days before finding Maxwell, the British socialite daughter of late press baron Robert Maxwell, guilty of five out of six charges. Each charge carries maximum prison terms of between five and 40 years.

Virginia Giuffre, who did not give evidence in the trial though she says she was also abused by Maxwell and Epstein, said on social media that she had “yearned for justice for years” and that the Manhattan jury of 12 had delivered.

“I will remember this day always,” Ms Giuffre posted on Twitter on Wednesday.

“I hope that today is not the end but rather another step in justice being served. Maxwell did not act alone. Others must be held accountable. I have faith that they will be.”

Ms Giuffre has launched a civil lawsuit against Britain’s Prince Andrew, a friend of Maxwell and Epstein, for unspecified damages, alleging he sexually assaulted her when she was 17, a minor under US law.

She claims she was lent out by Epstein to his powerful associates and forced to have sex with Prince Andrew — the second son of Queen Elizabeth II and ninth in line to the British throne — three times, the first time at Maxwell's London home.

Maxwell’s conviction has no direct bearing on the civil case against Prince Andrew, who denies all wrongdoing, but it raises further troubling questions about his friendship and close personal ties to the duo.

The Maxwell family meanwhile have said they still believe she is innocent. In a statement issued late on Wednesday, Maxwell's family said they would support her efforts to appeal her conviction.

“We believe firmly in our sister’s innocence. We are very disappointed with the verdict,” read the statement.

“We have already started the appeal tonight and we believe that she will ultimately be vindicated.”

Agencies contributed to this report.