Ghislaine Maxwell's brother claims her trial was unfair, says harsh treatment in jail left her unable to defend herself

• Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted of five sex trafficking charges on Wednesday.
• Her brother, Ian Maxwell, said the conditions she was held in meant she couldn't defend herself.

The brother of Ghislane Maxwell said her trial was unfair, arguing that the conviction should not stand because she was jailed in such harsh conditions that she could not properly defend herself.

Maxwell was convicted of five sex trafficking charges on Wednesday, after she was accused of helping convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse girls.

Her brother, Ian Maxwell, told the BBC Radio 4's "Today" show on Friday that he supports plans by Maxwell's team to appeal the verdict, focusing on her alleged mistreatment since her arrest in 2020.

Ian Maxwell previously described the conditions his sister was being held in as "torture" and said they were "designed to break her."

Maxwell's lawyers were also critical of how she was being treated, saying she was kept awake all night and wasn't getting enough food.

Prosecutors in April dismissed complaints about how Maxwell was being held and treated, and said she didn't keep her own cell clean or flush her toilet.

The BBC presenter Mishal Husain pushed back, noting that Maxwell "appeared engaged, animated, able to converse with her siblings, with her lawyers, study everything very carefully."

Ian Maxwell responded that although she appeared "superficially to be able to pay attention and talk to us and to her lawyers, the fact is that over 18 months of the kind of conditions that she's had to endure have seriously impacted her ability to be able to participate meaningfully in her defense pre-trial and during the trial itself."

Maxwell's family and attorney said on Thursday that they plan to appeal her conviction, saying they believe she is innocent.