DSK hotel maid to testify from witness stand, says lawyer

The hotel maid who has accused former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexually assaulting and attempting to rape her has agreed to testify on the witness stand at his trial, her lawyer reportedly said Monday.

“She is going to come into this courthouse, get on that witness stand and tell the world what Dominique Strauss-Kahn did to her,” her lawyer, Kenneth P. Thompson, told the New York Times outside the main criminal courts building in Lower Manhattan.

The comment came after Strauss-Kahn pleaded not guilty to seven charges against him three weeks after being arrested. Strauss-Kahn has been charged with two counts of committing a criminal sexual act, attempted rape, sexual abuse, forcible touching and unlawful imprisonment.

Monday was his first court appearance since he was released on $6 million cash bail and bond last month after almost a week at Rikers Island jail, reports the Associated Press. He has since been staying under house arrest and armed guard in a Manhattan apartment and then a deluxe town house.

With so much international attention and all sides aggressively preparing for battle, the trial is "taking on the air of three-ring circus that will enthrall the world," reports the Independent.

On Monday, hotel workers gathered outside the courthouse to show their support for the accuser while heckling Strauss-Kahn. The workers pushed against police barriers and as Strauss-Kahn walked past yelled at him "shame."

Strauss-Kahn's lead lawyer, Ben Brafman, said he will argue that no force was used in the hotel incident, the Independent states.

His lawyers are also likely to argue that Strauss-Kahn left the hotel May 14 in a hurry because he was rushing to lunch, he would not have phoned the hotel about his lost phone if he were guilty, he is not capable of such an attack and the maid is not trustworthy, the Telegraph reports.