Virginia Joffrey: Epstein’s accuser is suing Prince Andrew for alleged sexual assault

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An alleged victim of Jeffrey Epstein is suing Prince Andrew in a US court for alleged sexual assault.

Virginia Joffrey alleges that the Queen’s 61-year-old son sexually assaulted her at Epstein Palace in New York and two other venues when she was under 18.

Ms. Joffrey filed her case in federal court in New York just days before the expiration date of a state law allowing alleged victims of child sexual abuse to file claims that would otherwise have been barred by statute of limitations.

Her lawyer said his client is determined to take action against Prince Andrew.

“If you don’t do it now, it will allow him to escape any accountability for his actions,” Giuffre’s attorney, David Boyce, told ABC News.

“And Virginia is committed to trying to avoid situations in which the rich and powerful get away with no accountability for their actions.”

The lawsuit accuses Prince Andrew of sexual assault and causing emotional distress, and is seeking unspecified and punitive damages.

“Twenty years ago, Prince Andrew’s wealth, power, position and connections enabled him to abuse a frightened and vulnerable child with no one to protect her,” the court papers say.

“It has been a long time since he was held accountable.”

Geoffrey, 38, now lives in Australia and first brought charges against Andrew in 2014 in a case brought by Epstein’s victims against the Department of Justice.

(AFP)

“I was trafficked and sexually abused by him,” Ms. Joffrey said in a statement.

“I hold Prince Andrew to account for what he did to me. The powerful and the rich are not exempt from being held accountable for their actions.

“I hope other victims will see that it is possible not to live in silence and fear, but that one can reclaim her life by speaking out and demanding justice.

I did not come to this decision lightly. As a mother and wife, my family comes first. I know that this action will expose me to further attacks by Prince Andrew and his agents.

“But I knew that if I didn’t follow through with this procedure, I would let them down and let down victims everywhere.”

In her previous statements to the court, filed in a case challenging Epstein’s 2008 deal with federal prosecutors, Geoffrey alleged that Epstein and his ex-lover Ghislaine Maxwell directed her to have sex with Prince Andrew on three occasions in 2001.

She claimed that this happened in London, New York and the US Virgin Islands, where Epstein owns a private island.

Buckingham Palace has strongly denied the allegations.

I categorically denied it [Prince Andrew] Had any form of sexual contact or relationship with [Giuffre]. “The allegations are false and baseless,” the palace statement said.

Mr Boyce said Ms Joffrey’s legal team had been trying to discuss the case with Prince Andrew since 2015 but had received no response.

We gave him every opportunity to provide any explanation or context he might have. We have tried to find a solution without the necessity of litigation. Prince Andrew and his lawyers were completely unresponsive.

The lawsuit states that Joffrey’s lawyers sent a letter to Prince Andrew’s legal team last month, warning that they would file a lawsuit unless he entered discussions for an alternative solution.

“Had she simply failed to sue now, she would have validated the stalling tactics employed by Andrew and his advisors,” Boyes added.

Joffrey’s lawsuit comes nearly two years after Epstein committed suicide in a New York prison while awaiting trial for conspiracy and child sex trafficking.

Prince Andrew gave an interview to the BBC in November 2019 in which he denied Giuffre’s allegations.

In it, he alleged that a 2001 photo, in which his arm was around the 17-year-old’s waist, may have been manipulated.

“I don’t think the photo was taken the way it was suggested,” he said.

“I think with our investigations, you cannot prove whether that photo is fake or not, because it is a photograph of a photograph. So it is very difficult to prove that, but I don’t remember that photo that was taken at all.”

He also said he had an excuse for the date in question, when Epstein allegedly took the photo at Maxwell’s home in London.

“I was home. I was with the kids, and I had taken Beatrice to Pizza Express in Woking for a party, I think, at four or five in the afternoon,” he said.

“And then, since the Duchess was away, we have a simple rule in the family that when one is away, the other is there. I was on final leave at the time from the Royal Navy, so I was home.”

The Independent has reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment.

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