Prosecution in Ghislaine Maxwell trial may rest case by end of this week, court hears

• Pictured: Inside Jeffrey Epstein's 'house of sin'

• Why prosecutors are targeting the mystery of Ghislaine Maxwell’s extraordinary wealth

• Ghislaine Maxwell used Jeffrey Epstein cash to buy helicopter, court told

• Ghislaine Maxwell 'told British teenager to take Jeffrey Epstein tea in school uniform'

• Evidence from Jeffrey Epstein's safe 'went missing' after FBI raid, court hears

The prosecution have said they may rest their case in the Ghislaine Maxwell sex trafficking trial by this Thursday or Friday, a New York court heard today.

The Government would therefore be resting their case in two weeks rather than the projected three or four, having already finished with the testimonies of three out of four accusers.

On Tuesday a third accuser testified in the trial, saying she was paid 300 dollars to massage the late financier Jeffrey Epstein when she was 14-years-old.

The woman, identified as Carolyn, has accused the British socialite of grooming her for abuse by the disgraced Epstein, recalling how he would touch her breasts and buttocks, and that the 'sexual' massages would end with Epstein performing a sex act on himself.

She told jurors she initially took her clothes off and left her underwear on, but that changed over time when she would massage Epstein fully nude.

"Something sexual happened every single time," Carolyn, who chose not to reveal her last name, told jurors in Manhattan federal court.

The witness said Epstein had tried to have sex with her twice, but she told him she "wasn't comfortable with that".

Carolyn said that Ms Maxwell once touched her while she was preparing to massage Epstein. She said she had told Ms Maxwell that she was 14.

"I was fully nude and she came in and she felt my boobs and my hips and my buttocks and said that...I had a great body for Mr Epstein and his friends," Carolyn said.

Maxwell, 59, has pleaded not guilty to eight counts of sex trafficking and other charges. Carolyn is the third of four women identified in Maxwell's 2021 indictment as victims.

10:47 PM

Five key things heard today

That is all for today's proceedings. Here are five key things we have heard.

1. Jurors in Ghislaine Maxwell's sex abuse trial were shown photographs that depicted the British socialite rubbing late financier Jeffrey Epstein's foot, part of an effort to demonstrate the intimate relationship between the pair.

2. A separate Word document, created by gmax (Ms Maxwell), also described the defendant's relationship with Epstein: "Jeffrey and Ghislaine compliment each other really well and I can't imagine one without the other.”

3. The court heard from the third accuser, identified as Carolyn, who said that she would perform "sexual" massages on Epstein and would get paid 300 dollars, often by Ms Maxwell.

4. She also accused Ms Maxwell of touching her breasts and saying she "had a great body for Mr Epstein and his friends".

5. A computer hard drive seized by the FBI from Jeffrey Epstein's New York home has revealed a job advert for a massage therapist linked to Ms Maxwell.

6. The first photograph showing Epstein and the British socialite kissing has been released.

10:45 PM

'My soul is broken', Carolyn says during defence cross-examination

Towards the end of defence attorney Jeffrey Pagliuca's cross-examination Carolyn said: "My soul is broken and so is my heart. I'm devastated," reports Jamie Johnson.

In a heated conclusion to robust questioning, which challenged her payouts, drug taking and inconsistent statements, Carolyn sobbed, saying: "What she (Ms Maxwell) did was wrong. She picked vulnerable young girls and trafficked them.

"Money will not ever fix what that woman did to me."

Ms Maxwell looked visibly worried as Carolyn walked out of the courtroom crying.

Kevin Maxwell, Ghislaine's brother, told the Telegraph that a day after he pleaded to the US Attorney General to improve her welfare conditions, that nothing has changed.

09:47 PM

Carolyn continued going to Epstein's for money to 'buy drugs', court hears

Carolyn said she went to Jeffrey Epstein's every week, sometimes two or three times a week, and Ghislaine Maxwell played an active role.

"Maxwell would call and set up an appointment time... for like the first year," she said.

"I got paid 300 dollars" for every visit, Carolyn said.

Carolyn was asked by the prosecutor why she continued to go to Epstein's and what she did with the money.

"I was buying drugs," she said, "marijuana, cocaine."

She said she stopped going when she was 18 "because I became too old."

Carolyn told the jury that she had received between $1 million to $3 million from the Epstein victims fund.

09:36 PM

Pictured for the first time: Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein kissing

This is the first time a photo of the couple kissing has been seen and the British socialite can be seen with her arms wrapped around Epstein's neck.

09:06 PM

Pictured: Courtroom sketches from today

08:28 PM

Third accuser told Ghislaine she had been 'raped and molested' as a child, court hears

the third accuser testifying said she dropped out of school after the 7th grade, when she would have been about 13 years old, and was raped and molested by her grandfather when she was a child.

Asked by the prosecution what conversations she had had with Ghislaine Maxwell about her upbringing, Carolyn said: "I remember telling her I had been raped and molested... starting at the age of four."

Addressing what she said when the defendant invited her to Epstein's private island, the witness said: "I told her that I was too young and there was no way in hell my mum was going to let me leave the country."

Carolyn also told jurors she was photographed naked at Epstein's house and was paid 500-600 dollars for it.

Asking about what happened in the massage room with Epstein, Ms Comey asked: "For the first 45 minutes, what would you do?"

"I would massage him."

Questioned on what they would talk about during the massage, Carolyn said: "There were conversations about my life and my upbringing.

"I said that my mum was an alcoholic.

"I told him I had been molested and raped."

07:45 PM

Photographs show socialite massaging Jeffrey Epstein's feet on plane

Photographs of Ghislaine Maxwell massaging the late financier Jeffrey Epstein's feet on a plane have been shown in a New York court on Tuesday.

One photograph showed a smiling Ms Maxwell touching Epstein's bare foot and another showed his foot pressed against Ms Maxwell's chest as she massaged it.

The pictures, including one of the pair embracing, show jurors the British socialite's relationship with the convicted sex offender, who she was romantically involved with during the 1990s.

A total of 19 photos were shown to the jury and the public with a further two images shown to jurors under seal - including a picture of Prince Andrew accuser Virginia Roberts.

The picture of Ms Roberts was filed under seal to "protect her privacy", the court heard.

The photographs were found on compact disks seized from Epstein's Manhattan home by the FBI during a July 2019 search.

Special Agent Kelly Maguire told the court on Monday that evidence "went missing" from Epstein’s New York townhouse while authorities were waiting on a warrant, but that his lawyer later returned the items "in two suitcases".

The trial, now entering its seventh day, is expected to last six weeks and Ms Maxwell, 59, has pleaded not guilty to eight counts of sex trafficking and other charges.

07:05 PM

Why prosecutors are targeting the mystery of Ghislaine Maxwell’s extraordinary wealth

Mystery has always surrounded the source of Ghislaine Maxwell’s vast wealth.

Even the heiress herself "cannot remember off the top of her head just how many millions of dollars she has", a court heard earlier this year.

On Monday, the trial into her alleged sex trafficking went part of the way to clearing things up.

In three transactions over the course of eight years, Jeffrey Epstein directly wired more than $30 million to the British socialite, the jury heard. She used at least $7 million to buy a helicopter.

But why were Ms Maxwell's financial dealings being dragged through a sex abuse trial?

Prosecutors are seeking to prove that Ms Maxwell was so close to Epstein that she must be complicit in his crimes. Lawyers told the jury on Monday that the vast sums of money she received from Epstein - still only a fraction of his estimated $630 million fortune - showed what an integral figure Ms Maxwell was in his life.

Read the full story

06:10 PM

Ghislaine Maxwell's third accuser testifies: 'She said I had a great body for Mr Epstein and his friends'

A third woman who has accused Ghislaine Maxwell of grooming her for abuse by the late financier Jeffrey Epstein testified at the British socialite's criminal trial that she gave Epstein sexual massages when she was 14.

The woman, identified as Carolyn, recalled how Epstein would touch her breasts and buttocks, and that the encounters would end with Epstein masturbating until he ejaculated.

"Something sexual happened every single time," Carolyn, who chose not to reveal her last name, told jurors in Manhattan federal court.

Carolyn said Ms Maxwell would sometimes call her to schedule appointments with Epstein, during which she would be paid $300 to $400, and that Ms Maxwell once touched her while she was preparing to massage Epstein. She said she had told Ms Maxwell that she was 14.

"I was fully nude and she came in and she felt my boobs and my hips and my buttocks and said that...I had a great body for Mr Epstein and his friends," Carolyn said.

Maxwell, 59, has pleaded not guilty to eight counts of sex trafficking and other charges. Carolyn is the third of four women identified in Maxwell's 2021 indictment as victims.

05:19 PM

'Jeffrey and Ghislaine compliment each other really well and I can't imagine one without the other'

A Word document, created by the author "gmax" - which emails demonstrated the author's name to belong to Ms Maxwell - also described the defendant's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

It read: "Jeffrey and Ghislaine have been together, a couple, for the last 11 years.

"They are, contrary to what many people think, rarely apart.

"I almost always see them together."

It continued: "Ghislaine is highly intelligent and great company with a ready smile and an infectious laugh, will always put one at one's ease and always makes one feel welcome.

"Jeffrey and Ghislaine share many mutual interests and they have a lot of fun together.

"Jeffrey and Ghislaine compliment each other really well and I can't imagine one without the other.

"On top of being partners, they are also the best of friends."

05:06 PM

Hard drive seized by FBI reveals job advert for massage therapist linked to Maxwell

A computer hard drive seized by the FBI from Jeffrey Epstein's New York home has revealed a job advert for a massage therapist linked to Ghislaine Maxwell, a court heard.

British socialite Ms Maxwell is accused of preying on vulnerable young girls and luring them to massage rooms to be molested by Epstein between 1994 and 2004.

Emails found on the same hard drive also showed an author, which linked to an email address for Ms Maxwell, asking for an update on the progress of a "household manual".

The 59-year-old's trial in a Federal court in the Southern District of New York previously heard how a manual was handed to staff in which they were told to "see nothing, hear nothing, say nothing".

An FBI computer analyst told jurors the properties of each of the files shown to the jury, including a Word document which listed a number of shampoo and massage products, was created by the author "gmax" in September 2002.

Asked to read the advert for the massage therapist, which was created in September 2001 by Ms Maxwell, Stephen Flatley, part of the FBI's Computer Analysis Response Team (Cart) said it read: "Help wanted. Are you a massage therapist? Work in Palm Beach home.

"Excellent pay. Mostly weekends. Please call 351-1000. Leave message."

03:16 PM

Ghislaine Maxwell's lawyers ask to bar accuser's brother from testifying at trial

Ghislaine Maxwell's defence lawyers have asked US District Judge Alison Nathan to prevent the brother of a witness who accused the British socialite of setting her up for abuse by late financier Jeffrey Epstein from testifying at Ms Maxwell's sex abuse trial.

Prosecutors anticipate calling the brother of a woman known by the pseudonym Jane to corroborate certain aspects of the account she gave on the stand last week. Jane said Ms Maxwell groomed her for abuse by Epstein starting when she was 14 in the mid-1990s and participated in some sexual encounters.

On Tuesday, Ms Maxwell's attorney Laura Menninger said prosecutors had informed her that Jane had called her brother, known by the pseudonym Brian, after her testimony and talked to him about it. Ms Menninger raised concerns that Jane could have coached Brian on what to say.

"I'm very troubled and concerned," Ms Menninger said, adding that Jane had told Brian that Ms Menninger - who cross-examined her - was "an expletive that rhymes with front."

Prosecutors said Ms Maxwell's attorneys were free to cross-examine Brian on what he discussed with Jane, and that he had talked about his expected testimony with them prior to the phone call so there was no risk that Jane had coached him. US District Judge Nathan said she would consider the issue.

02:58 PM

Evidence from Jeffrey Epstein's safe 'went missing' after FBI raid, court hears

An FBI special agent testified to a New York court in Ghislaine Maxwell's sex trafficking trial on Monday that evidence "went missing" from Jeffrey Epstein’s New York townhouse while authorities were waiting on a warrant.

Special Agent Kelly Maguire recalled how CDs and other items were recovered by the FBI from a locked safe during an initial search of the Manhattan home on July 6 and July 7, 2019, after Epstein’s arrest on sex assault charges.

The FBI agent said officers broke open the safe with a saw, finding the CDs, jewellery, computer hard drives, "loose diamonds", passports and "large amounts of US currency."

They took photographs of the items, but left them at the residence as they did not have the warrant to remove them. When they returned four days later, on July 11, they were no longer there.

Agent Maguire, a member of an FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, said she then called Richard Kahn, Epstein’s lawyer who now serves as the executor of the later financier’s estate, to ask what happened to the items.

"Twenty to thirty minutes after the conversation, Richard Kahn came to the residence and brought them items back in two suitcases," Agent Maguire said.

Read the full story

02:11 PM

Ghislaine Maxwell used Jeffrey Epstein cash to buy helicopter, court told

Jeffrey Epstein transferred tens of millions of dollars to Ghislaine Maxwell over eight years, some of which was used to purchase a helicopter, a New York court heard on Monday.

Bank statements shown for the first time detailed wire transfers of $18.3 million in 1999, $5 million in 2002 and $7.4 million in 2007, in evidence that offered an extraordinary insight into how the heiress financed her lifestyle.

The prosecution hopes that the vast sums of money - still only a fraction of Epstein's estimated $630 million fortune - can show that Ms Maxwell was close to Epstein and his crimes.

The transfers show Epstein, the late financier, cashing out shares and wiring to accounts in the name of both Ms Maxwell and "Air Ghislaine Inc".

Ms Maxwell, 59, who has spent the past 15 months in a federal prison in Brooklyn, offered some $28 million in bond last year in an attempt to secure her release ahead of her sex-trafficking trial. She has also set aside $7 million for her legal defence.

Read more from Josie Ensor and Jamie Johnson

02:09 PM

Five key things heard in court yesterday

1. Jeffrey Epstein transferred tens of millions of pounds to Ghislaine Maxwell over eight years, some of which was used to purchase a helicopter, the New York federal court heard after previously unseen bank statements were shown.
2. An FBI special agent testified to the court that evidence “went missing” from financier Epstein’s New York townhouse while authorities were waiting on a warrant.
3. Ghislaine Maxwell told a British teenager to take Epstein tea in a school uniform, a witness 'Kate', now in her 40s, told jurors in testimony.
4. Kate also told the trial Ms Maxwell asked her as a teenager if she “had fun” after emerging from a “sexualised massage” with Epstein at the socialite’s London flat.
5. Earlier before proceedings began, Ghislaine Maxwell’s siblings pleaded for “justice and common humanity” in the socialite’s detention conditions, particularly four-point shackles, in a letter to the US Attorney General.