As 200 pages of transcripts about the 2006 investigation into paedophile Jeffrey Epstein are unsealed, a new book – released Thursday – examines “who is permitted to speak” about sexual abuse by an abuse victim present at mucky madam Ghislaine Maxwell’s 2021 trial; One key question still remains tellingly unanswered: “Who did these two monsters actually sex traffic their victims to?”
Just after The Observer’s Stephanie Merritt reviewed abuse victim Lucia Osborne-Crowley’s new book about her experiences attending the trial of the convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell on Sunday, yesterday Peruvian born Circuit Judge The Honorable Luis Delgado of the 15th Judicial Court of Florida released nigh on 200 pages of previously embargoed documents concerning the 2006 investigation into allegations against Jeffrey Epstein.
Explaining why yet more information about a megalomaniac monster he himself termed “the most infamous pedophile [sic] in American history” were being made public now, the judge observed:
“Details in the record will be outrageous to decent people.”
“The testimony taken by the Grand Jury concerns activity ranging from grossly unacceptable to rape – all of the conduct at issue is sexually deviant, disgusting, and criminal.”
“Epstein is indeed notorious and infamous and is widely reported to have flaunted his wealth while cavorting with politicians, billionaires, and even British royalty.”
“It is understandable that given those reports the public has a great curiosity about what was widely reported by news [agencies] as ‘special treatment’ regarding his prosecution.”
Going further, Joseph Abruzzo, Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller for Palm Beach, added:
“When I became Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller, I promised that I would leave no stone unturned to ensure the release of the Jeffrey Epstein Grand Jury records.”
“We are making these important documents available to the public to ensure transparency to the people of Palm Beach County that we serve every day, and to the international community that has closely followed the Epstein case.”
“It was legislation our office championed that led to the release of these grand jury records… It is our hope that the release of these records gives peace of mind to our community and gives Jeffrey Epstein’s victims the closure they deserve.”
The release of the documents came about after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill in February allowing such transcripts to be made public on or after 1st July 2024. Until now, Grand Jury documents normally remain permanently sealed.
To buy a copy of The Lasting Harm: Witnessing the Trial of Ghislaine Maxwell by Lucinda Osborne-Crowley for a discounted price whilst supporting independent bookshops, go to our Bookshop.org page by clicking here on mobile devices or via the embed below on desktop devices.
Elsewhere, in her article for The Observer, Merritt shared of The Lasting Harm: Witnessing the Trial of Ghislaine Maxwell – which is to be published on American Independence Day, Thursday 4th July:
“At the heart of Lucia Osborne-Crowley’s account of the Ghislaine Maxwell trial, The Lasting Harm, is a question about who is permitted to speak on the subject of sexual, particularly childhood, abuse. Osborne-Crowley is the author of two previous books, I Choose Elena and My Body Keeps Your Secrets, both of which examine the ongoing trauma of her childhood grooming by a sports coach, and a violent rape by a stranger at 15. This, then, is the indelible experience she brings to her court reporting on this most sensitive of issues.”
Quoting Osborne-Crowley, Merritt added:
“‘I have been accused many times of being a biased journalist because of my history of abuse. To that I say: yes, I am biased. Everybody is, whether we own it or not.’ She goes on to say, ‘the journalists I met at the Maxwell trial – mostly men in their 40s – who did not have any experience of sexual trauma are also biased. These issues have never affected their lives and so they subscribe to a patriarchal, societal and defensive narrative;’ one that does not, she argues, take into account the pervasive effects of trauma and shame on victims, particularly when it comes to speaking up about the crimes.”
“For the duration, Osborne-Crowley got up at 1.30am to stand in line until the courthouse opened, to be sure that one of those seats would be hers; for almost five weeks she sat ‘a foot away’ from Maxwell while her victims were questioned. Despite this proximity, Maxwell exists as a shadowy figure in the courtroom sections, a constant presence who is also a notable absence. She doesn’t speak until the verdict, and speech attributed to her at the time of the abuse is taken from the testimony of the women.”
“The Lasting Harm makes for painful reading, and the author is frank about what the process cost her personally – two stints in a trauma clinic as her immersion in the details of Jeffrey Epstein and Maxwell’s crimes triggers her own memories. She is unequivocal about the purpose of her work – she quotes the investigative journalist Julie K. Brown, who says ‘journalism is about giving a voice to the powerless,’ and in this, Osborne-Crowley has succeeded admirably. The fact that none of Epstein’s male associates has yet been held to account suggests that there is a long way to go.”
Both developments in this matter add to the narrative of knowledge about the vile crimes of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, but one thing they continue to fail to do is this: They continue to keep the names of the powerful fellow monsters these two twisted toe rags sex trafficked their victims to firmly under wraps.
Going further, one could observe, that whilst many names of presidents, politicians and personalities continue to swirl around in the context of this sordid case, nothing much seems to be done about bringing them to justice. It has been all too easy for the claim of “I knew them, but I didn’t know what they did” to be bandied around for too long now and whilst ‘names not proven of anything (yet)’ including the likes of ex-Barclays banker Jes Staley have fallen because of his financial links and film fiddler Harvey Weinstein was jailed for his own sexual crimes, so many others allegedly deeply connected to Epstein and Maxwell continue to thrive and indeed prosper on their own terms. Some of them may be innocent, but many of them most certainly are not.
As I have said again and again, there will be no satisfaction until the day the actual co-conspirators are finally named and shamed and brought to book. The powerful and the privileged should not be allowed to be continue to think that they are above the law; it is time for true justice to be served.
Editor’s note – Unlike as is the case in many publications, this article was NOT sponsored or supported by a third-party. Follow Matthew Steeples on Twitter at @M_Steeples and watch his shows discussing true crime and all matter of other topics on YouTube at @mjs2781.
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