Ghislaine Maxwell's accuser 'was paid £40,000 to set up Tom Parker Bowles in 1999 cocaine sting'
- Tom Parker Bowles was 24 when he was caught in tabloid's cocaine sting in 1999
- It is claimed woman who helped newspaper is witness against Ghislaine Maxwell
- Report suggests incident may be used by Maxwell's defence to undermine the prosecution witness when the trial gets underway on November 29 in New York
One of Ghislaine Maxwell's accusers had a hand in setting up Tom Parker Bowles in a newspaper cocaine sting in the 90s, it has been reported.
The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is expected to appear as a witness for the prosecution at Maxwell's trial which is due to start on November 29 and is set to be the trial of the century.
But, according to the Telegraph, it has now come to light that the woman was paid up to £40,000 to help a tabloid newspaper set up Mr Parker Bowles, son of the Duchess of Cornwall, as part of a well-publicized sting in 1999.
The newspaper reports that the incident may be brought up during Maxwell's trial as part of the defence's bid to undermine the credibility of prosecution witnesses.
One of Ghislaine Maxwell's accusers had a hand in setting up Tom Parker Bowles (pictured in 2018) in a newspaper cocaine sting in the 90s when he was aged 24, it has been reported
In the sting, which took place in 1999, Mr Parker Bowles was secretly filmed offering to buy cocaine for the woman, who was used by the tabloid because she knew Mr Parker Bowles at the time.
He also admitted using cocaine himself with 'someone he found last night' while working in France.
Mr Parker Bowles, who was 24 at the time and working as a publicist, was caught in the sting while at the Cannes Film Festival and the incident was splashed over five pages of the News of the World.
In contemporary reports, Parker Bowles was described as 'contrite' while it was said Prince Charles, who was then a patron of the drugs charity Phoenix House, was 'fairly cross' with the 24-year-old and scolded him for having been caught up in the sting.
Tom Parker Bowles, who was 24 at the time (pictured in 1999) was subject to a media firestorm after the sting which took place while he was working as a publicist at the Cannes Film Festival
It is thought the sting could be used by the defence team of Ghislaine Maxwell (pictured) to undermine the prosecution witness, who cannot be named for legal reasons, during the trial
The Telegraph also adds that another witness, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has previously been arrested for possession of cocaine and use of drug paraphernalia.
Ghislaine, a British socialite and daughter of the late Robert Maxwell who is currently in a New York jail, is due to stand trial in the United States in just over a week.
Maxwell, 59, is charged with sex trafficking, with prosecutors claiming she helped pedophile Jeffrey Epstein recruit, groom and ultimately sexually abuse young girls.
She has pleaded not guilty, and the trial is expected to begin on November 29.
Earlier this month, Maxwell spoke to The Mail on Sunday for the first time about her 'living hell' behind bars – claiming that she has been assaulted and abused by prison guards, purposely deprived of sleep and given rotting food to eat.
Maxwell, who had her $28million (£21M) bail application denied for the fourth time last week, also claimed negative media coverage while she has been in custody and the deliberate withholding of evidence have made it 'impossible' for her to receive a fair trial.
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