>Meet the Maxwells
Ghislaine Maxwell's brother Ian claims it's 'ludicrous' that 'a prince of the realm' would have had 'a grand old sex-time' in a 'very, very small' bath - after picture was released in bid to prove Andrew's 'innocence'
Ghislaine Maxwell's brother today claimed it would be 'ludicrous' to believe anyone would have managed to have a 'grand old sex time' in the 'very, very small' bath where Prince Andrew allegedly had a sexual encounter with Virginia Giuffre.
A photograph on the front page of Saturday's Daily Telegraph showed a man and a woman lying fully clothed in a bath in the former London home of convicted child sex trafficker Ms Maxwell, wearing makeshift masks bearing the faces of the Prince and his accuser.
Today, Ian Maxwell repeated his claim that the picture proves the bath is too small to have sex in, telling Times Radio: 'I don't know what your contortions and the ability to have a grand old sex-time in a bath, but that's a very, very small tub. He's a big man. And the guy in the picture is smaller than he is. 'The girl had her back to the taps, hard. It's ludicrous to think that anybody, let alone a prince of the realm knowing allegedly that other people are in the house, are going to have to have this fantastical arrangement in this tiny little room.'
Ian Maxwell appeared on Times Radio today to suggest it was 'ludicrous' that 'a prince of the realm' would have had 'a grand old sex-time' in a 'very, very small' bath
Prince Andrew COULDN'T have had bath sex because tub was too small
Friends of Ms Giuffre have poured scorn on the 'bizarre' photo stunt - which is said to prove Prince Andrew's 'innocence' of alleged sex crimes against her.
The Duke's accuser has claimed that in 2001 when she was 17, he licked her toes in the bath before they had sex in the bedroom.
She alleged she was forced to have sex with Andrew by convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein – who died in 2019 awaiting trial for child sex trafficking offences – and his close friend, Ghislaine Maxwell. The Duke has repeatedly and vehemently denied Ms Roberts's claims.
Today, Mr Maxwell insisted the photo was 'just another example' of Ms Giuffre's 'faulty memory'.
'What it does prove is the reverse of what Miss Giuffre said in her unpublished memoir, which is a court document and was released by the US court, in which she says that the bathroom had a beige marble floor and there was a Victorian tub in the centre of the room,' he said.
'There is no Victorian bath, there is no bath in the centre of any room. And for her to say that there is just wrong. Her memory is wrong, or it never happened.
'[The photograph] is designed to say, Wait a minute. This lady has been believed, almost without any compunction by everybody.
'I think that the other side of the story needs to be looked at by the media properly, the allegations need to be investigated thoroughly. We only ever hear one side of the story.' Mr Maxwell said that Prince Andrew could take action after Ms Giuffre dropped her accusations against the lawyer Alan Dershowitz.
'He's got to take a view. Dershowitz has suggested that he should consider all legal remedies now to get his reputation back, try and get his life back on track,' he said.
'The appeal is not about Ghislaine's innocence or guilt. She's been found guilty. That is the position. I can't do anything about it. She's guilty, she's been convicted.
'She's in prison. The appeal is about judicial error, pre trial, in trial, post trial, and also the terrible egregious errors in due process. That is what my sister is appealing against.'
Mr Maxwell claimed the photograph could be one step along the way for his sister to overturn her conviction. The comments will infuriate Ms Giuffre's camp, which has already slammed the photo 'stunt' as 'shameful'.
One source connected to her told The Mail on Sunday: ‘If this shameful stunt is the best Maxwell’s side can do in defence of Prince Andrew then it’s laughable.
‘It’s a disgusting attempt to discredit a victim of sexual abuse and would be risible if it were not so offensive. Plus they have their facts totally wrong. Virginia never said they had sex in the bath.’
Lawyer Lisa Bloom, who represented several victims of Epstein and Maxwell’s sex trafficking web, added: ‘What a surreal, bizarre photograph. It proves nothing.
‘Virginia said that she and Andrew were in the bath. The photo shows that two full-sized humans can fit in the bath. Virginia said that Andrew began by playing with her feet in the bath. The photo shows that would certainly be possible. ‘Virginia said that she and Andrew then moved into the bedroom where the sexual activity occurred. Nothing in the photo disproves that. ‘Ghislaine and her supporters must be getting desperate. Instead of continuing to attack victims, she should be apologising for the pain she has caused to so many.’
(continued)
IAN MAXWELL PHOTO