‘Maxwell put on suicide watch ahead of sentencing’

NEW YORK: Jailed former socialite Ghislaine Maxwell has been placed on suicide watch -- despite not being suicidal -- according to her lawyers, who said they would move to postpone her sentencing for sex trafficking if she remained in isolation.

"Ms. Maxwell was abruptly removed from general population and returned to solitary confinement" on Friday, attorney Bobbi Sternheim wrote in a letter Saturday to Judge Alison Nathan. She has been denied access to legal documents and time to meet with lawyers and this has "prevented her from preparing for sentencing," which is set for Tuesday, he added.

Maxwell, who was convicted in New York federal court for helping the late financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse girls, was placed on suicide watch without a psychological evaluation "and without justification," Sternheim said. A psychologist evaluated the 60-year-old on Saturday and "determined she is not suicidal," he added.