Anger after BBC interview Ghislaine Maxwell’s brother pleading her innocence

Ian Maxwell was interviewed by Radio 4 on Friday morning

The BBC has sparked fury after interviewing the brother of convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell. On Wednesday, a jury found Ghislaine Maxwell guilty of five sex trafficking charges. She has faced accusations of 'recruiting underage girls' for her then-boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse. Maxwell now faces up to 65 years behind bars. But on Friday morning, the BBC interviewed her brother, Ian Maxwell, giving him the opportunity to plead his sister's innocence and claim that the victims that had given testimonies during the trial were lying. The decision to interview her brother on Friday's edition of the Today programme was criticised by many on Twitter. SNP MP John Nicolson described it as "odd", saying it provided Ian Maxwell with a "lengthy opportunity" to claim the Ghislaine's victims were lying. https://twitter.com/MrJohnNicolson/status/1476836817945219106 Several others wondered whether the BBC would choose to interview the family members of any other convicted sex offender and give them airtime to protest their relative's innocence. https://twitter.com/brianmoore666/status/1476837039228309517 https://twitter.com/BarristerSecret/status/1476835253536841728 Related links:

• Ghislaine Maxwell’s family launch appeal after she’s found guilty in sex trafficking trial
• Ghislaine Maxwell’s accusers speak out after guilty verdict is given
• Pilot claims Prince Andrew was on Epstein plane ‘Lolita Express’ during Maxwell trial

https://twitter.com/soniasodha/status/1476829371101024256 Another user said that interviewing Ian Maxwell was an example of "class bias" and a "prioritizing of 'balance' so that a jury verdict has no more weight than some guy's opinion." https://twitter.com/CJFDillow/status/1476846069459869696 It comes after the broadcaster had to apologise for interviewing Jeffrey Epstein's ex-lawyer in the aftermath of the Maxwell's guilty verdict. The BBC admitted that Alan Dershowitz, the man who used to be Jeffrey Epstein's lawyer and has himself been accused of sexual abuse by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, was not a "suitable person to interview as an impartial analyst". They added that they will now be investigating how Dershowitz was chosen as a person to interview.