Maxwell jurors hear expert testimony about sexual predators

NEW YORK – Jurors astatine Ghislaine Maxwell's proceedings got a psychologist's overview Thursday of however intersexual predators gradually lure and ensnare kid victims, a presumption that defence lawyers tried to support retired of the British socialite's enactment trafficking trial.

“Child intersexual maltreatment is simply a process,” Lisa Rocchio testified, providing adept position but nary particulars astir the accusers successful the lawsuit against Maxwell. She is charged with helping to enlistee underage teenage girls into intersexual maltreatment by the precocious financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Maxwell, 59, denies the allegations, and her lawyers accidental prosecutors are going aft her due to the fact that they can't effort Epstein. He killed himself successful 2019 portion jailed connected enactment trafficking charges.

Maxwell was Epstein's onetime girlfriend and, later, employee. Prosecutors said she took the girls connected buying trips and movie outings, talked to them astir their lives and encouraged them to judge fiscal assistance from him.

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The authorities besides says she besides helped to make a sexualized ambiance by talking with the girls astir enactment and encouraging them to springiness Epstein massages, and 1 accuser testified this week that she had intersexual interactions with Epstein astatine property 14 with Maxwell successful the country and sometimes participating. Maxwell's lawyers pointed to FBI documents that said the now-adult woman, who testified nether a pseudonym, gave the authorities a antithetic relationship successful 2019; she questioned the documents' accuracy.

Rocchio she had evaluated hundreds of kid intersexual maltreatment victims, though she has ne'er interviewed immoderate of Maxwell's accusers.

The scientist told the assemblage that abusers often groom their victims successful a progression that includes giving presents, gathering a consciousness of spot and gradually introducing much sexualized speech and touching. Victims often don't travel guardant close away, she said.

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Before the trial, Maxwell's lawyers tried unsuccessfully to artifact Rocchio's testimony, saying it didn't person capable technological grounding.

After she took the stand, defence lawyer Jeffrey Pagliuca suggested that immoderate things she described arsenic grooming — specified arsenic giving gifts, taking children to peculiar places oregon paying them attraction — could besides beryllium innocuous.

He recalled, for example, his gramps taking him to the Bronx Zoo arsenic a child.

“I'm assuming helium wasn’t taking you determination for intersexual abuse,” Rocchio retorted.

Simply being bully to idiosyncratic isn't grooming, she said, “in the discourse of a steadfast and mean relationship.”

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