Ghislaine Maxwell jury seeks more witness transcripts

Jurors have begun a fifth full day of deliberations in Ghislaine Maxwell's sex crimes trial

Jurors asked for transcripts on Wednesday of the testimony of five witnesses at the sex crimes trial of Ghislaine Maxwell as the judge suggested they work through the New Year's holidays if needed.

The 12-person jury has deliberated for four full days so far without reaching a verdict, amid rising concerns that surging Omicron infections could derail the trial of the 60-year-old British socialite.

The jury requested clarification from the judge on Wednesday regarding their schedule for deliberating for the remainder of this week.

Nathan again cited the risk of Covid cases amongst jurors and trial participants which could cause a "substantial delay" to proceedings.

The jurors asked to review the transcripts of five witnesses on Wednesday, including that of key defense witness Elizabeth Loftus, a memory expert.

"The older the event is the more susceptible people are to having post-event suggestion contaminate their memory," she said.

The other transcript requested was that of a prosecution witness, Shawn, a former boyfriend of one of Maxwell's accusers, a woman who was identified in court only as "Carolyn."

She also appeared to have a brief conversation with a journalist which was inaudible to the courtroom.

The jury must reach a unanimous decision on any of the six counts facing Maxwell if she is to be convicted. If they fail to reach unanimity on any of the charges, the judge could declare a mistrial.

US prosecutors alleged that the daughter of former British newspaper baron Robert Maxwell was a knowing participant in the conduct of Epstein, who killed himself in a US jail in 2019 while awaiting his own sex crimes trial.

Maxwell's defense team countered that there was a lack of evidence to convict and questioned the accusers' ability to recollect quarter-century-old events.

Maxwell, who turned 60 on Christmas Day, did not testify but in a defiant statement to the court said prosecutors had failed to prove her guilt.

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