Prince’s sex scandal billionaire pal takes his secrets to grave
By Christopher Bucktin, Tony Whitfield Mike Parker
and PRINCE Andrew’s paedophile friend Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in jail yesterday in an apparent suicide.
The disgraced financier, 66, was being held in Metropolitan Correctional Centre in New York after being charged with conspiracy and sex trafficking dozens of girls as young as 14 in the early 2000s.
He had faced up to 45 years behind bars if convicted.
Epstein was deemed a flight risk and was being held without bail while awaiting trial.
Two weeks ago, the billionaire was taken to hospital after he was found unconscious in his cell with bruising to his neck.
It is unclear if the injuries were self-inflicted or from an assault but it is not believed Epstein was on suicide watch.
His death came 24 hours after
‘Everything was about control’
documents relating to his case were unsealed, causing embarrassment to high-profile figures including the Duke of York.
They also implicated a number of powerful men in sex scandals.
In a statement, the Federal Bureau of Prisons said Epstein was found unresponsive in his cell “from an apparent suicide” at 6.30am New York time.
It told how “life-saving measures were initiated immediately by responding staff” but Epstein was subsequently pronounced dead at a local hospital. It added: “The FBI is investigating the incident.”
US Attorney General William Barr said he was “appalled” to hear of Epstein’s death and said it “raises serious questions that must be answered”.
Last night one of the financier’s unnamed victims said she felt a “sense of relief” over his death but was angry that he would not pay for his crimes.
She said: “Throughout his life, Jeffrey lived on his terms and he’s ended it on his terms, too.
“Everything was about control for him and everyone could be bought, whether it was the girls he abused, the staff he employed or the powerful people who made sure he was protected.
“Justice was not served before and it will not be served now. I hope he rots in hell.”
The woman, now 37, added: “There will be a lot of powerful men – and some women – breathing a hefty sigh of relief now he’s taken their secrets to the grave.
“I hope the police do not stop in bringing those who conspired with him to justice. The fight is not over.”
Another victim, Jennifer Araoz, said: “We have to live with the scars of his actions for the rest of our lives, while he will never face the consequences of the crimes he committed, the
pain and trauma he caused so many people.”
On Friday after months of legal wrangling, a Manhattan court released documents detailing claims of the alleged abuse carried out by Epstein.
The papers relate to the defamation case brought by Virginia Giuffre against Epstein’s former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell.
It includes claims the Duke of York had sex with Ms Giuffre when she was 17 and that he groped Johanna Sjoberg, then 21.The age of consent in the UK is 16.
Ms Giuffre also alleges that she was made to have sex with some of the billionaire’s other famous friends
In the papers, Ms Giuffre also claims Ms Maxwell “had sex with underage girls virtually every day” and her and Epstein’s lives “revolved around sex”. She denies all the claims.
The defamation case, filed in
2015, was settled out of court by Ms Maxwell in 2017. She has always denied any wrongdoing and has never been charged.
Prince Andrew was reportedly introduced to Epstein through his friendship with Ms Maxwell in the 1990s. He has always denied any wrongdoing. In a
‘The victims deserve justice’
2015 court application, a judge threw out Ms Giuffre’s allegations that she had sex with Andrew and ordered them to be struck from the record as being “immaterial and impertinent”.
The prince also came under fire after he was pictured strolling through Central Park with Epstein in 2010 following his release from prison.
This led to Andrew stepping