Ghislaine Maxwell to file request for retrial over juror’s revelation

Ghislaine Maxwell's legal team was poised on Wednesday to file detailed documents requesting a new trial following revelations that a juror may not have disclosed childhood sexual abuse during jury selection.

Maxwell, the daughter of the late British publishing baron Robert Maxwell, was convicted on 29 December of five counts for facilitating the late financier Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse of girls, some as young as 14.

After last year's trial, one panelist, juror No 50, said in an interview that he was a victim of childhood sexual abuse. This juror, Scotty David, reportedly said he told fellow jurors about his experience - and that this helped other panelists understand things from a victim's point of view.

David's statements about prior abuse spurred questions, given that potential jurors completed questionnaires during the selection process which included: "Have you or a friend or family member ever been the victim of sexual harassment, sexual abuse, or sexual assault?"

The questionnaire also asked: "Witnesses in this case may testify claiming sexual abuse or sexual assault. Would you have any difficulty assessing the credibility of a witness claiming sexual assault or abuse just like you would any other witness?"

David reportedly said that he did not recall the question about abuse but had answered every query honestly. Following David's comments, prosecutors asked judge Alison Nathan to investigate his remarks.

"While the court instructed jurors that they were free to discuss their jury service with anyone of their choosing, some of the statements, as related in the media, merit attention by the court. In particular, the juror has described being a victim of sexual abuse," prosecutors wrote in a 5 January letter.