Family of Ghislaine Maxwell confident of acquittal, says brother

The brother of British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell has said the family is “convinced” she will be acquitted, adding that she is being subjected to “brutal” and “degrading” conditions.

Maxwell is in a US prison, awaiting trial on charges that she recruited three teenage girls for financier Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse between 1994 and 1997.

Ian Maxwell said the American justice system – which he described as “bizarre” and “cruel” – must grant bail to his “much loved” sister, adding that her family is “solidly behind her”.

She is being held without bail on the grounds that she remains a flight risk and has not been fully forthcoming about her finances.

Mr Maxwell told the Daily Telegraph: “On evidence that can be shown to be false given just a little exploration and digging, Ghislaine has been accused of being a procurer and a heartless woman, and far more besides.

“In fact, she is none of these things.”

He added: “The sustained brutal, degrading – and wholly unnecessary – conditions of my sister’s solitary imprisonment are a disgrace to any civilised democracy.”

Mr Maxwell said his sister has 10 cameras trained on her 24 hours a day and guards observing her all the time.

He told the newspaper that his sister, her family and her friends have done everything they can to reassure the court that she will stay in America if she is released on bail.

“She and we have all put everything at risk to support her and we have managed to pull together 28.5 million dollars – a huge sum, especially when compared with others who have been released on bail for far lesser sums,” said Mr Maxwell.

He added: “We are convinced she will be acquitted and we just hope and believe that the American justice system must grant her much less onerous conditions of detention and finally, and soon, bail.”

Epstein killed himself in jail in New York while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.