蜜芽传媒

The sex-trafficking trial of British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell gets underway in a Manhattan courtroom today. Maxwell has been accused of recruiting and grooming girls, some as young as 14 years old, for the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. If she's found guilty the 59-year-old could face a sentence of more than 80 years.

Paul Townsen, a criminal defence lawyer from Robert Gottlieb and Associates in New York explained what the two sides' arguments are likely to be.

"The prosecution is bringing in an expert on grooming and the use of third parties to get women comfortable in order to lower their defences... and the defence is planning to provide an expert to talk about false memories and the idea that with the passage of time people can believe that certain things have happened that are figments of their imagination."

(Photo: A portrait of Ghislaine Maxwell as she sits during jury selection. Credit: Reuters)