Day Four of Ghislaine Maxwell Trial in New York Focuses on Alleged Grooming of Victims

2 年前

Day four of Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex-trafficking trial took place in New York City on Thursday, December 2, with Maxwell facing charges of conspiring with Jeffery Epstein to facilitate the grooming and sexual abuse of minors.

The fourth day of the trial focused on the grooming of victims – the center of the sex-trafficking charges against Maxwell – the New York Times reported. Variations of the word “grooming” appeared nine times in her federal indictment, according to the New York Times.

On Thursday, expert witness Dr Lisa Rocchio told jurors that “childhood sexual abuse is a process” that begins with the selection of the victim and escalates through trust-building and desensitization.

Prosecutors have accused Maxwell of initiating the grooming process by introducing young girls to Epstein, posing as a mentor figure, and allegedly giving the girls explicit sexual advice.

Videos taken outside the Southern District of New York Courthouse show Teresa Helm, an alleged victim of Maxwell and Epstein, and lawyers arriving to the trial on Thursday morning. Credit: Addy Adds via Storyful