Ghislaine Maxwell appears in court – live

Prosecutors told a federal judge that Maxwell’s request to delay the 12 July start date so her defence can review thousands of photos has placed an “enormous amount of stress” on the victims.

A whopping 1.2 million documents have been turned over to the defence team in discovery, including “highly confidential images”.

Maxwell’s lawyers asked to delay the start of the trial and break it up into two hearings for separate charges – the first being on sex-trafficking charges and the other on allegations of lying under oath.

In a new brief submitted Thursday to oppose the delay, Assistant US Attorney Maureen Comey wrote there’s no need to delay the first charges after separating from perjury, according to Law & Crime.

“The longer this case remains pending, the longer the victims suffer the anxiety of anticipating their trial testimony and the uncertainty of awaiting a resolution,” the brief states.

“In particular, Minor Victim-3 expressed feeling significant stress during the pendency of this case and a strong desire to have the case brought to a close through trial as soon as possible. Similarly, Minor Victim-2 also indicated that she has experienced an enormous amount of stress while this case has been pending, wishes to see the case brought to trial.”

Ghislaine Maxwell, daughter of British newspaper baron Robert Maxwell and his French wife Elisabeth, was born in affluent Maisons-Laffitte in northern France on Christmas Day 1961, the youngest of nine children, writes The Independent’s Joe Sommerlad.

“Just two days later, her teenage brother Michael was involved in a car accident that would keep him in a prolonged coma until his death in 1967, a tragedy that marked the family. Ghislaine and her siblings were raised in Oxford at the Maxwells’ Headington Hill Hall home, a sprawling mansion that also served as the headquarters for their father’s Pergamon Press publishing outfit, which, at 14, Ghislaine would help by learning to programme a new suite of Wang computers her father had introduced in 1973 as part of a modernising initiative.”

Catch up with the life and times of Maxwell before today’s court appearance.

Hello and welcome toThe Independent’s live coverage of Ghislaine Maxwell appearing in court – in person – for the fist time since her arrest on sex-trafficking charges.

That is not a series of typos.

Ghislaine Maxwell demanded an in-person hearing after her last court livestream ended in a “debacle” choreographed by QAnon supporters.

The January stream was reportedly illegally streamed on YouTube with the live chat become a hive for the conspiracy supporters.

“As counsel has notified the government, Ms Maxwell is requesting an in-person arraignment. She will not waive that right, most especially in light of media coverage and the debacle that occurred during a remote proceeding in a related civil case before Judge Preska,” said her lawyers in a court filing, according to Newsweek.

Graeme Massie has the story.