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Ghislaine Maxwell (court drawing): Scapegoat or perpetrator?
Photo: JANE ROSENBERG / REUTERS
At the Ghislaine Maxwell trial, a witness described how she recruited her as a sexual partner for Jeffrey Epstein.
The woman testified on Monday in New York under the pseudonym Kate.
She told the jury how the now 59-year-old arranged meetings between her and the influential businessman.
At Maxwell's behest, among other things, she was supposed to wear a school uniform to serve Epstein tea.
"She seemed to be everything I wanted to be"
She met Maxwell when she was 17 and had trouble making friends after moving house.
Maxwell offered to introduce her to her boyfriend, who could help her with her emerging music career, Kate said.
"She seemed to be everything I wanted to be," said 44-year-old Kate.
She had the feeling "that someone wanted to be my friend".
Maxwell later invited her to his home to give Epstein a massage.
She had the first of many sexual encounters with Epstein that day, Kate said.
In contrast to the first witness, however, at this point she was over the required age to consent to sexual acts.
Depending on the US state, this is between 16 and 18 years of age, in Great Britain it is 16 years.
The judge instructed the jury that Kate's accounts were not "illegal sexual acts."
To illustrate Maxwell's role, the judge still allowed the witness to testify.
Prosecutors accuse Maxwell of complicity in serious sex crimes against minors.
The accused was Epstein's "right hand", said a public prosecutor in her opening speech.
Maxwell denied the allegations.
Her defense argued the authorities made her the scapegoat for Epstein's alleged sex crimes.
The Maxwell trial started just over a week ago and is estimated to last six weeks.
The prosecution relies on four main witnesses.
The cases to be heard range from 1994 to 2004 and the alleged crimes are said to have been committed in Epstein's mansions in New York, Florida, Santa Fe and London.
The multimillionaire, who is known to many celebrities, was found dead in a New York prison cell over two years ago, and according to an autopsy, Epstein committed suicide.
There was therefore never a trial against him.
bbr / dpa / Reuters