New York | Ghislaine Maxwell said meeting Jeffrey Epstein was the “biggest regret” of her life as a judge sentenced the disgraced British socialite on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST) to 20 years in prison for her role in a “horrific scheme” to abuse underage girls.

Approaching the New York courtroom podium with shackles around her feet, Maxwell told victims gathered in the public gallery that she was “sorry” for the pain that Epstein’s sexual abuse had caused and hoped her imprisonment would bring them “some measure of peace and finality”.

The Telegraph London