The daughter of the late British media baron Robert Maxwell has repeatedly called for a new trial after the jury failed to expose child sexual abuse when selecting jurors. Attorney No. 50 Scotty David was arraigned in court on March 8 for absenteeism. He told the judge, Allison Nathan, that he had been distracted when he quickly filled out a screening questionnaire. In her decision on Friday, Nathan said she believed David’s explanation was true and that she gave no indication of bias against Maxwell. “The court finds that juror 50 testified credibly at the hearing,” Nathan wrote in a 40-page ruling. “There are many reasons for this finding. He appeared to testify honestly and sincerely, even when the answers he gave were a cause of personal embarrassment and remorse. “His motive at the hearing was to testify honestly or to face charges of forgery.” Nathan added: “His tone, demeanor and response showed no evidence of false testimony. Thus, the court credits his testimony that he was detached as he filled in the questionnaire and “escaped very quickly”, as a result of which he misunderstood some of the questions. “The court further finds that juror 50 was not biased and would not have been beaten for reasons even if he had answered each question in the questionnaire accurately.” David told Nathan that his failure to report child sexual abuse was a “sincere mistake” and he deeply regretted it. He was granted immunity to testify after declaring that he would assert his right under the Fifth Amendment against Self-Incrimination. Maxwell pleaded guilty December 29 to sex trafficking and related charges for bringing girls, some as young as 14, to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein for sexual abuse. Maxwell insists she is innocent. Epstein, a convicted sex offender whose high-profile accomplices once included Prince Andrew, was arrested in July 2019 on charges of sex trafficking. He committed suicide in a federal prison in New York. After Maxwell’s trial, David gave interviews in which he discussed child sexual abuse. He claimed that he had told the jurors to understand things from the victim’s point of view. David’s comments raised questions because aspiring jurors were asked about any history of abuse during the selection process. The questionnaire asked, for example: “Have you or a friend ever been sexually harassed, sexually abused or sexually assaulted?” When David’s comments were revealed, prosecutors asked Nathan to investigate. Maxwell’s lawyers made a similar request and then asked Nathan for a new trial. Prosecutors opposed a new trial, noting David’s insistence that he did not fail to expose his deliberate abuse. “After a thoughtful and thorough hearing by this court, it is clear that the accused received a fair trial,” prosecutors said in court documents. “The affidavit of the jury 50 at the hearing showed that he did not deliberately lie by filling out the questionnaire, but that he made a sincere mistake.” In her ruling on Friday, Nathan also referred to Maxwell’s lawyers’ claim that they would try to keep David away from the jury if they knew his story. The judge said it was not appropriate to weigh Maxwell’s push for a new trial. “What is not disputed about resolving this motion is whether the defendant would have gone on a compelling strike against this juror if he had accurately exposed his previous sexual abuse,” Nathan wrote. “Although the defendant claims in her pre-hearing briefing that she is also entitled to a new trial because the jury 50’s failure to disclose its history deprived her of the opportunity to file her complaints, this is not the law in federal court.” .
