Ghislaine Maxwell: First photo from jail shows unexplained black eye

Lawyers think black eye may be from Ms Maxwell shielding face from flashlight in wellness checks

The first photo of Ghislaine Maxwell in jail has been released in court papers, showing the disgraced British socialite with an unexplained black eye.

Ms Maxwell is in custody ahead of her trial on charges relating to sex trafficking of underage girls for now-deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

A court filing on Thursday afternoon by her attorney Bobbi Sternheim included the photo.

Several requests for bail by Ms Maxwell’s legal team have been rejected by a panel of judges.

They argued that their client is being deprived of sleep by wellness checks every 15 minutes by corrections officers.

Ms Sternheim said her client did not know how she got the black eye but speculated that the bruise may have been caused by Ms Maxwell shielding her eyes during nighttime checks when a flashlight is used to see if she is still breathing.

Officers at the Metropolitan Detention Center, where Ms Maxwell is incarcerated, questioned her about the black eye.

A photo released by Ms Maxwell’s legal team showing her with a black eye (VIA REUTERS)

Ms Sternheim notes that her client has become “increasingly reluctant to report information to the guards for fear of retaliation, discipline and punitive chores”.

According to the court papers, Ms Maxwell has no mirror and only saw the bruise in a reflection in a nail clipper.

Her lawyers argue that she does not need the wellness checks every 15 minutes as there is no evidence she is suicidal.

Ms Maxwell has been held in the Brooklyn detention centre since July last year on multiple charges relating to her long-term relationship with ex-boyfriend Mr Epstein, who killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial for his offences.

“There’s no evidence she’s suicidal. Why is the Bureau of Prisons doing this? They’re doing it because Jeffrey Epstein died on their watch. And again, she’s not Jeffrey Epstein, this isn’t right,” David Markus, another of her attorneys said earlier in the week.

Ms Maxwell denies all the charges against her.