Ghislaine Maxwell’s brother demands footage from ‘house of horrors’ jail after unexplained bruise on her eye

The brother of Ghislaine Maxwell has demanded video footage from his sister’s jail, which he called a “house of horrors” after a photo surfaced of Ms Maxwell with an unexplained black eye.

The brother, Ian Maxwell, said in a statement he was “shocked my sister’s guards didn’t immediately refer her for proper medical care” when they discovered the bruise.

“Instead, they bullied and harassed her, effectively blaming the victim,” he went on. “The simple solution is to review the round-the-clock security camera footage to see what may have occurred.”

In a photo released by Ms Maxwell’s lawyers, the disgraced British socialite appears to have a bruise under her left eye. The judge in Ms Maxwell’s case, Alison Nathan, has ordered the government to explain the injury.

Ms Maxwell is charged with grooming and trafficking underage girls for her ex-boyfriend, the convicted sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein, who committed suicide while in prison in 2019.

Her lawyers have repeatedly accused the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where she is being held, of badly mistreating her. They say the jail has subjected her to isolation, dirty drinking water, “inadequate” food, and flashlights waking her up every 15 minutes at night.

According to her lawyers, Ms Maxwell believes shielding her eyes from those flashlights may be the cause of her bruise.

“While Ms Maxwell is unaware of the cause of the bruise, as reported to medical and psych staff, she has grown increasingly reluctant to report information to the guards for fear of retaliation, discipline, and punitive chores,” her attorney, Bobbi Sternheim wrote to Judge Nathan.

The judge has ordered the government to explain how Ms Maxwell got the black eye, as well as why she needs “night-time surveillance.” She also requested that Ms Maxwell be provided with a covering for her eye if necessary.

Meanwhile, Ian Maxwell blasted the jail’s alleged mistreatment of his sister.

“Apart from whatever happened in this ‘House of Horrors,’ I can report that Ghislaine’s family and friends continue to support her,” Mr Maxwell said in a statement. “We are confident, once this is over, it will be the prosecutor who has a proverbial black eye.”

Last week, Ms Maxwell pleaded not guilty to new sex trafficking charges involving another victim of Mr Epstein. After the arraignment, her lawyers once again accused the jail of mistreating her.

“Ghislaine is in very, very, very difficult conditions – conditions none of us would wish on our worst enemies,” attorney David Markus said. “She’s looking forward to fighting, and she will fight.”

David Boies, a lawyer for the prosecution, disputed that Ms Maxwell was the one deserving of sympathy.

“I don’t believe that there is any credible evidence on any basis whatsoever to assert that Ms Maxwell is the victim,” Mr Boies said outside the courthouse. “I do not believe that that is productive for them, I do not believe that that is fair to the real victims here, and I think it is highly undesirable.”

One of Epstein and Ms Maxwell’s alleged victims, who did not identify herself, spoke as well.

“It’s incredibly vindicating to see her sit there,” she said, referring to Ms Maxwell. “It’s hard to sit through it, and it’s painful, but it’s good, too. It’s healing.”