A new documentary series from Channel 4 is set to tell the real-story of how the former socialite, Ghislaine Maxwell, was found guilty of sex-trafficking. Ghislaine Maxwell: The Making Of A Monster airs on Tuesday, July 5 and offers viewers an insight into the cruel nature in which she treated her victims.
Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison earlier this year, is the daughter of media tycoon and former MP Robert Maxwell. Following the mysterious death of her father in 1991, Maxwell moved to the US to pursue a career in real estate and it was here that she met American financier and convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein.
In the early 1990s, the pair would go on to have a romantic relationship and when this ended, they stayed close and Maxwell became his personal assistant. According to a 2003 Vanity Fair profile, author Vicky Ward said that Epstein referred to Maxwell as his "best friend". In 2019 , Epstein was arrested on federal charges for the sex trafficking of minors, but took his own life in jail before he could reach trial.
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Maxwell, herself, was arrested in 2020 on multiple counts of sex-trafficking minors for Epstein. Five years previously, in 2015, Virginia Giuffre (under the pseudonym 'Jane Doe 3') accused both Maxwell and Epstein of grooming her. Despite Maxwell repeatedly denying the accusations, Giuffre asserted her case and ultimately won a settlement in 2017, meaning Maxwell had to pay her "millions".
Giuffre would be the first of several people to come forward against Maxwell and Epstein. In 2017, Sarah Ransome filed a suit against the two but it was settled a year later under undisclosed terms. She claimed that Maxwell hired her to give massages to Epstein, who later threatened to physically harm her.
In 2019, another person came forward in the shape of Maria Farmer. Farmer alleged that both she and her 15-year-old sister had been sexually abused by Maxwell and Epstein in separate locations in 1996. What followed was accusations from Jennifer Araoz later that year, a woman identifying as 'Priscilla Doe' and Annie Farmer. The accusations prompted Maxwell's arrest in 2020.
During her trial, prosecutors claimed that Maxwell had shown an "utter lack of remorse" for her crimes. Following her sentencing, Maxwell apologised to the victims of her abuses and said that she hoped her sentencing would allow them “peace and finality”
The three-part series on Channel 4 will examine the life of Maxwell and include expert witness testimony from those she befriended and harmed throughout her life.
The series, which is directed by Erica Gornall, details Ghislaine’s early life and how it was influenced by her wealthy father. Maxwell’s callous attitude towards her victims is also explored.
In one particular interview, her second cousin, author Catherine Oxenberg, recalls the response she gave to a question she asked about why so many young girls were always with her and Epstein. According to Oxenberg, Maxwell said: "They are nothing, they are trash.”
Describing her cousin's character, Oxenberg explained: “"The dynamic that she’s always looking for is to be in control, the most important person in the room - and if she has to strip naked to do it, she’ll do it."
The three-part series, Ghislaine Maxwell: The Making of a Monster begins on Tuesday, July 5 at 10pm and will be available to watch on both Channel 4 and All 4. All episodes will be available to stream on All4 once they have aired on Channel 4.
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