Duke of York’s accuser will not be taking stand at Maxwell trial

PRINCE ANDREW’S accuser is not giving evidence at Ghislaine Maxwell’s forthcoming sex-trafficking trial because she is a “less than credible witness” who has changed her story over the years, the Duke’s team has claimed.

The Daily Telegraph disclosed on Monday that Virginia Giuffre, who has claimed she was groomed and sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein and Maxwell, will not be testifying on behalf of the US government as had been speculated.

US prosecutors chose not to bring charges in connection with Ms Giuffre and will instead concentrate on the testimonies of four other women.

It means the Duke, who is fighting his own civil case brought by Ms Giuffre, will be spared the uncomfortable scrutiny he had feared at next week’s trial.

“As the most high-profile and vocal accusers against Maxwell, Epstein and individuals such as the Duke, one might have expected Mrs Giuffre to be the star witness,” sources close to the Duke’s camp said. “However, the fact that she is not to be called can only lead one to conclude that her increasingly inconsistent accounts make her a less than credible witness.”

Since going public with her accusations, Ms Giuffre has launched several lawsuits against those she alleges to have been involved in a conspiracy, including Maxwell and Alan Dershowitz, Donald Trump’s former lawyer.

In a 2019 interview with Dateline on NBC, the 38-year-old said inconsistencies in her story were the innocent mistakes of trying to recall events that happened years ago, when she was a traumatised teenager.

Maxwell, 59, has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.