This article references rape, grooming, and sexual assault. In June 2020, Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison for helping Jeffrey Epstein abuse young women and girls. During the trial, four women testified that they'd been groomed and abused by Epstein – and that Maxwell had played a crucial role in facilitating this abuse. Lucia Osborne-Crowley, a journalist and survivor of sexual abuse and grooming, witnessed the explosive trial first-hand.
” Carolyn was a vulnerable 14-year-old who had already experienced childhood sexual abuse when she first met Ghislaine Maxwell. She was regularly pressured into massaging Epstein, who went on to sexually abuse her. She also testified that Maxwell groped her: “She came in and felt my boobs, my hips and my buttocks and said that… I had a great body for Mr. Epstein and his friends.” Lucia reflects on how vulnerable children like Carolyn are targeted by sexual predators.