Online
\nLondon
\nA lawyer representing women who say they were abused by Jeffrey Epstein has urged Prince Andrew to co-operate with an investigation into the financier. Lisa Bloom said the alleged victims were \u201coutraged\u201d by the Duke of York not assisting the US authorities.
\nIt comes after the prosecutor in charge of the US investigation said the duke had provided \u201czero co-operation\u201d. The prince has said he did not witness or suspect any suspicious behaviour during visits to Epstein\u2019s homes.
\nHe told last November that he was willing to help the authorities into the investigation of Epstein, a convicted sex offender who took his own life in a jail cell in August, aged 66, while awaiting trial on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges.
\nHowever, US attorney Geoffrey Berman said prosecutors and the FBI have received no reply after contacting the duke\u2019s lawyers.
\nBloom, a US lawyer who represents five of Epstein\u2019s accusers, said the duke should \u201cdo the right thing\u201d.
\nShe told Newsnight: \u201cI\u2019m glad that Geoffrey Berman has gone public to try to embarrass Prince Andrew, who made one statement and then behind closed doors is doing something very different.
\n\u201cThe five Epstein victims who I represent are outraged and disappointed at Prince Andrew\u2019s behaviour here.\u201d Buckingham Palace said the prince\u2019s legal team was dealing with the issue and it would not be commenting further.
\nBloom added: \u201cIf Prince Andrew truly has done nothing wrong then it\u2019s incumbent upon him to go and speak to the FBI at a time that\u2019s convenient for him and say what he knows. \u201cPerhaps he can help bring other people to justice.\u201d
\nPrince Andrew has come under fire for his friendship with the US financier, who was jailed in Florida in 2008 for procuring a minor for prostitution.
\nHe told Newsnight in November that he first met Epstein in 1999 and did not regret their friendship – which led to Epstein attending events at Windsor Castle and Sandringham – because it had \u201csome seriously beneficial outcomes\u201d.
\nHowever he admitted it was wrong of him to visit Epstein at his home in 2010, after his conviction.
\nVirginia Giuffre, one of Epstein\u2019s accusers, says she was trafficked to London by Epstein in 2001, when she was 17, and forced to have sex with Prince Andrew.
\nPrince Andrew emphatically denies any form of sexual contact or relationship with her and says any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation.
\nHe said he has no recollection of ever meeting the woman, who was previously known as Virginia Roberts.
\nPrince Andrew was accused of lacking empathy for Epstein\u2019s victims in his Newsnight interview and failing to show regret over their friendship.
\nShortly after it was broadcast, the prince announced he was stepping back from royal duties for the \u201cforeseeable future\u201d because the Epstein scandal had become a \u201cmajor disruption\u201d to the Royal Family.
\nAt the time, he said he was \u201cwilling to help any appropriate law enforcement agency\u201d.
\nHe also said in the BBC interview he would consider giving evidence under oath \u201cif push came to shove and the legal advice was to do so\u201d.
\nThe lawyer for Epstein\u2019s victims has since said he plans to serve subpoenas for the prince to be questioned under oath.
\nIt was the Queen\u2019s first public appearance after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were revealed to have given up their HRH titles – and the first time the prince had been seen with his mother since the week after his Newsnight interview.
\n\u2018Moving forward\u2019
\nProsecutor Berman made his comments at a news conference outside Epstein\u2019s New York mansion.
\nHe was speaking at an event to promote a new law that makes it easier for victims to sue over childhood abuse.
\nBefore being asked about Prince Andrew, he spoke about the progress of the sex trafficking investigation and said it was looking at possible \u201cconspirators\u201d who had worked alongside Epstein procuring girls for the financier\u2019s sexual gratification.
\n\u201cJeffrey Epstein couldn\u2019t have done what he did without the assistance of others, and I can assure you that the investigation is moving forward,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Online London A lawyer representing women who say they were abused by Jeffrey Epstein has urged Prince Andrew to co-operate with an investigation into the financier. Lisa Bloom said the alleged victims were \u201coutraged\u201d by the Duke of York not assisting the US authorities. It comes after the prosecutor in charge of the US investigation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-104850","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n