Individuals accusing Ghislaine Maxwell of sex crimes can be referred to as 'victims' by prosecutors, a judge ruled on Monday in the upcoming trial of Jeffrey Epstein's longtime associate.
Ghislaine Maxwell, the ex-girlfriend of the New York financier who was accused of sex trafficking and sex abuse of women, several of whom were underage, has been charged with procuring and grooming underage girls for Epstein to abuse. US District Judge Alison Nathan in Manhattan said in a hearing on Monday that it would be "unnecessary and impractical" to exclude the use of the term, a Reuters report read.
59-year-old Maxwell, who was arrested in July 2020, appeared in court on Monday and pleaded not guilty to the charges she faced. It has been alleged that Maxwell coerced the girls into giving Epstein 'sexualised massages'.
Jury selection for the case will begin on Thursday. Opening remarks will be heard on November 29. Witnesses to the case will be allowed to testify under pseudonyms, a ruling that could complicate the defence's efforts to dispute accusers' credibility. But the judge stood by her decision saying that this will prevent the witnesses and victims from being harassed.
The chief executive of British bank Barclays Jes Staley stepped down on Monday following a report by United Kingdom regulators into his past links with the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The report by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority examined the way Staley characterised his relationship with Epstein to Barclays when he was Epstein's private banker in his previous job at US investment bank J.P. Morgan.
C.S. Venkatakrishnan, head of global markets for the bank, will take over as chief executive. Barclays said succession planning has been in place for some time, and he had been identified as the preferred candidate more than a year ago.
--With PTI inputs
