By Aaron Miller-
The trial of Ghislaine Maxwell continued today, with the court hearing the testimony of a second woman who testified to being pressured to have multiple sexual encounters with the disgraced billionaire mogul, starting with massages in a school girl’s outfit with pleated skirt.
She said Maxwell led her to a massage room where Epstein was wearing a bathrobe , which left him naked when he took it off.
Kate told jurors that Maxwell also told her that Epstein was “demanding” when it came to sexual massages, adding that it was “very difficult to keep up” with his needs.
She was later flown on commercial flights to Florida, where she said the activities continued when she was 18.
Kate testified that she met Maxwell at age 17 through a friend of hers she had dated on and off, and was eager to be friends with the British socialite, whom she found to be sophisticated. Maxwell told her Epstein, her then boyfriend, was a philanthropist who could help her with her singing career, she said.
She seemed to be everything that I wanted to be,” Kate, now 44, told the jurors, who were rivetted by every detail of her testimony. “I left there feeling exhilarated and like somebody wanted to be my friend.”
The witness said Maxwell gave her some massage oil and closed the door, then Epstein had a sexual encounter with her, which led to multiple other sexual encounters. The nature of those sexual encounters were not detailed in court because she was 1 at the time- the legal age of consent in Britain.
Ms Maxwell, 59, is accused of grooming teenage girls for abuse by the late convicted sex offender and financier. She has pleaded not guilty to all charges against her.
Last week, prosecutors brought a green massage table in front of the jurors and a survivor using the name “Jane” claimed in her testimony that Epstein routinely used massages as a pretext for sex abuse.
One of the sexual abuse survivors, Sarah Ransome, who claims she was repeatedly raped by Epstein over a nine-month period, described Ms Maxwell as a “very sick woman” who took pleasure in “humiliating” her victims.
This morning, the court heard from a witness using the pseudonym “Kate” who said Ms Maxwell groomed her for sexual encounters with Epstein, bought her gifts, and made her wear a schoolgirl costume
The witness, identified only as Kate, is the second woman to testify at Maxwell’s ongoing trial as she faces eight charges including six counts of enticing minors and sex trafficking.
Judge Alison J. Nathan informed the jury that Kate was not a victim of the crimes charged in the indictment, as the defence argued she was over the age of consent when she first met Epstein at aged 17.During the trial, Kate described having met Maxwell while she was on a trip to Paris with her boyfriend. A few weeks later, Maxwell invited her to have tea at her house.
When asked why she wore the outfit, Kate replied: ‘I didn’t know how to say no to that. I didn’t know anybody in Florida. I had never been to Palm Beach or Florida before. I wasn’t sure if I said no if I would have to leave or what consequence there would be for not doing it.’
The woman said she was 17 and struggling to make friends after moving to Britain from France when she met Maxwell for tea at her London townhouse in 1994, becoming acquainted through a 35-year-old man she was dating.
She said she returned to the townhouse weeks later while Epstein was there and she massaged his feet at Maxwell’s request.
Maxwell is said to have told Kate she was a ‘good girl’ and one of Epstein’s ‘favourites’.
Maxwell “told me that I was such a good girl and that I was one of his favourites”, she said.
During her testimony, Kate also described one incident in the mid-1990s where allegedly Maxwell left out a schoolgirl’s outfit for her to wear for Epstein.
“I thought it would be fun for you to take Jeffrey his tea in this outfit,” the witness recalled Maxwell telling her.
After a sexual encounter that followed, Maxwell “asked me if I had fun” and told her, “you are such a good girl,” Kate said.
When asked if Epstein engaged in sexual activity with her again on that trip, the witness responded: “Yes. Multiple times.”
She also said she was gifted a Prada handbag for her 18th birthday, visiting Epstein’s private island at the age of 23, and seeing “lots of photos of young girls” at his home in Palm Beach.
Kate went on to become a musician and a model, and stayed in touch with Maxwell until she was 24 and with Epstein until her 30s.
Kate said she became addicted to alcohol, cocaine and sleeping pills during hr time with Maxwell
On cross-examination, a lawyer for Maxwell got Kate to acknowledge instances where she had spoken out publicly about the pair using her real name.
She also asked whether her history of drug and alcohol abuse affected her memory, to which Kate replied: “It has not had an impact on the memories I have always had.”
Maxwell’s lawyers have argued their client is being prosecuted because Epstein is no longer alive.
Related Topics
Ghislaine Maxwell
Jeffrey Epstein