Epstein accuser sues Prince Andrew, citing sex assault at 17

NEW YORK – One of Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime accusers sued Prince Andrew connected Monday, saying helium sexually assaulted her erstwhile she was 17.

Lawyers for Virginia Giuffre filed the suit successful Manhattan national court.

In a statement, Giuffre said the suit was brought nether the Child Victims Act to allege she was trafficked to him and sexually abused by him.

“I americium holding Prince Andrew accountable for what helium did to me," she said. “The almighty and affluent are not exempt from being held liable for their actions. I anticipation that different victims volition spot that it is imaginable not to unrecorded successful soundlessness and fear, but to reclaim one’s beingness by speaking retired and demanding justice.

“I did not travel to this determination lightly," she added. “As a parent and a wife, my household comes archetypal — and I cognize that this enactment volition taxable maine to further attacks by Prince Andrew and his surrogates — but I knew if I did not prosecute this action, I would beryllium letting them and victims everyplace down."

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In precocious 2019, Prince Andrew told BBC Newsnight that helium ne'er had enactment with Giuffre, saying, “It didn’t happen.”

He said helium has “no recollection” of ever gathering her and told an interviewer determination are “a fig of things that are wrong” astir Giuffre’s account, which alleges the brushwood occurred successful 2001.

“I tin perfectly categorically archer you it ne'er happened,” Andrew said.

According to the lawsuit, which sought unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, the prince abused Giuffre connected aggregate occasions erstwhile she was nether the property of 18.

It said that connected 1 occasion, the prince sexually abused her successful London astatine the location of Ghislaine Maxwell erstwhile Epstein, Maxwell and Prince Andrew forced her to person intersexual intercourse with the prince against her will.

On different occasion, Prince Andrew sexually abused Plaintiff successful Epstein’s New York mansion erstwhile Maxwell forced Giuffre and different unfortunate to beryllium connected Andrew's thigh arsenic helium touched her, the suit said.

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The suit besides alleged that Andrew sexually abused Giuffre connected Epstein’s backstage land successful the U.S. Virgin Islands.

During each of the alleged acts, Giuffre was fixed “express oregon implied threats" by Epstein, Maxwell, and/or Andrew to prosecute successful intersexual acts with the prince, the suit said.

It said that she “feared decease oregon carnal wounded to herself oregon different and different repercussions for disobeying" the trio due to the fact that of their “powerful connections, wealth, and authority," the suit said.

The suit added that Andrew knew her property astatine the clip based connected communications with Epstein and Maxwell. It said helium went up anyhow “for the intent of gratifying his intersexual desires."

Maxwell, 59, has pleaded not blameworthy to enactment trafficking charges successful Manhattan national court, wherever she faces proceedings successful November.

Epstein, 66, took his ain beingness successful a national jailhouse successful Manhattan successful August 2019, a period aft helium was arrested connected enactment trafficking charges.

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As portion of its continuing probe into Epstein and his encounters with women and teenage girls, Manhattan national prosecutors formally requested to talk with Andrew.

The request, akin to issuing a subpoena, was made nether the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, an statement betwixt the 2 countries to stock grounds and accusation successful transgression cases.

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