Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
ANDY’S PAEDO FRIEND HANGS HIMSELF
FBI PROBE AS
PRINCE Andrew’s paedophile ex-pal Jeffrey Epstein killed himself in jail yesterday – a day after the royal was named in court papers detailing the financier’s depraved crimes.
Billionaire Epstein, 66, who hanged himself in his cell, was awaiting trial accused of abusing and arranging sex with dozens of underage girls.
He was close friends with the Duke of York during the period he carried out his sickening abuse.
And among hundreds of court papers released on Friday relating to the paedophile’s crimes were documents that alleged Prince Andrew had intimate relations with Epstein’s 17-year-old “sex slave” and had groped another woman’s breast.
The Prince was with the Queen at Balmoral when news of Epstein’s death broke. He had flown into Aberdeen on Tuesday and was joined by the Duchess of York – also once a friend of Epstein.
It was reported the paedophile’s contact books included 16 phone numbers for Prince Andrew.
In the files released by a federal appeals court, Prince Andrew is accused of having sex with teenager Virginia Roberts Giuffre. The Duke is further accused of touching the breast of Johanna Sjoberg, then 21, an alleged Epstein victim, in the billionaire’s Manhattan apartment.
Andrew had allegedly just been presented with a Spitting Image puppet of himself.
In her testimony, Johanna said Andrew and Virginia were sat on a couch with the puppet.
She said: “I sat on Andrew’s lap – and I believe of my own volition – and they took the puppet’s hands and put it on Virginia’s breast, and so Andrew put his on mine.”
Johanna testified she was “lured” by British socialite Ghislaine
Maxwell. The court papers state Ghislaine, daughter of the disgraced media tycoon
Robert Maxwell, approached Johanna while she was at school “under the guise of a legitimate job of answering phones, a pretext that lasted only a
They put the puppet’s hand on Virginia’s breast so Andrew put his on mine JOHANNA SJOBERG
ALLEGED EPSTEIN VICTIM
day.” She was then trained as his personal masseuse.
Ghislaine vehemently denies all allegations.
After the documents were unsealed on Friday, a Buckingham Palace spokesman denied any wrongdoing and said: “This relates to proceedings in the United States, to which the Duke of York is not a party. Any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue.” Epstein was arrested
on July 6
He tried to kill himself two weeks ago and is allowed to finish the job now? JOE SCARBOROUGH
EX FLORIDA CONGRESSMAN
accused of arranging to have sex with dozens of underage girls at his homes in New York City and Florida between 2002 and 2005. He had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In June 2008 Epstein was jailed for 18 months after admitting procuring prostitutes for sex. He served just over a year in jail. Prince Andrew sparked huge embarrassment for Buckingham Palace when he was pictured with Epstein following his release from prison in 2011.
The pair were spotted strolling through Central Park together and sparked outrage that eventually led to Andrew stepping down from his role as Britain’s trade envoy. Buckingham Palace says the Duke has not been in contact with Epstein since they were spotted in the park.
Last night the FBI launched an investigation into how Epstein had managed to kill himself in prison.
His death was all the more remarkable as it came just two weeks after he had tried to commit suicide.
Yet it emerged yesterday that Epstein, whose other influential friends included Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, was not on suicide watch.
Department of Justice spokesman Lee Plourde said the disgraced financier was not “currently” being monitored around the clock.
But he refused to say whether Epstein had been taken off additional monitoring or whether he had never been watched at all.
Lawyers last night branded the billionaire a “coward” for taking his own life and robbing his victims of seeing justice done.
But one of those he molested told the Sunday Mirror: “The world is now a safer place.” Speaking from her home in West Palm Beach she said: “Jeffrey lived his life on his terms and now he’s ended it on his terms too. Justice was not served before, and it will not be served now. I hope he rots in hell. The world is now a safer place.”
She blasted authorities tasked with looking after Epstein while he awaited trial. She added: “How he managed to take his own life while on supposed suicide watch is unforgivable. There will be a lot of powerful men – and some women – breathing a hefty sigh of relief he’s taken their secrets to the grave.” Epstein was found unconscious in his cell in New York’s Metropolitan Correctional Centre at 6.38am yesterday.
He had suffered a cardiac arrest and was taken to a nearby hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
Conspiracy theories have quickly emerged claiming Epstein had been purposely left alone. And social media is awash with users saying establishment figures wanted him dead because of his links to some of America’s most powerful people.
Former Florida congressman Joe Scarborough said: “How convenient for a lot of rich and powerful men.
“He reportedly tried to kill himself two weeks ago. And is allowed to finish the job now? Bulls**t.”