A woman who claimed Jeffrey Epstein committed a “vicious, prolonged sexual assault” against her when she was 15 has called on Britain’s Prince Andrew to come forward with information about the convicted sex offender.
The new accuser, who identifies herself as “Jane Doe 15,” appealed to the Duke of York at a news conference on Monday, where she and lawyer Gloria Allred announced her lawsuit against Epstein’s estate.
She is one of about a dozen women suing the financier’s estate for alleged sexual abuses.
Photo: Reuters
“Prince Andrew, and any others that are close to Epstein, should come forward and give a statement under oath on what information they have,” Jane Doe 15 said.
Allred said that she had called upon Andrew to “voluntarily meet with the FBI and prosecutors who are investigating this criminal case in New York, and also to provide his deposition under oath.”
Their entreaty comes in the wake of a bombshell BBC Newsnight interview in which Andrew was pressed on his friendship with Epstein — who killed himself in a Manhattan jail several months ago following his arrest on sex trafficking charges.
The prince is not accused of wrongdoing in relation to Jane Doe 15 and claims to have severed ties with Epstein in 2010.
Court papers detail the alleged abuse.
Jane Doe 15 said she was lured into Epstein’s dark world when she was in New York City on a school trip.
She was permitted to visit her sister, who was a model in New York City, for one day.
Jane Doe 15’s sister, who knew Epstein, invited her to his town house, she claimed.
Upon her arrival at his townhouse in Manhattan, his secretary allegedly began “grooming Jane Doe 15 to be used as Epstein’s sexual object — she took photographs of Jane Doe 15, gave her an iPod, and told Jane Doe 15 that Epstein really wanted to meet her.”
Several weeks later, the secretary e-mailed Jane Doe 15, saying “Epstein was excited by the photos and that he was very interested in [her]” — she and her sister were invited to a magic show in Las Vegas, and then to Epstein’s New Mexico ranch, Jane Doe 15 said.
For Jane Doe 15, who “grew up in a poor household in the Midwest,” the prospect of travel seemed “thrilling.”
At one point during her stay at the ranch, Jane Doe 15 said she was asked to the main house and taken to Epstein’s bedroom, where he was allegedly wearing a bathrobe and demanded a massage.
She said she sensed that Epstein wanted her to engage in sexual activity, “but she did not know what it was. Epstein seemed to get frustrated as a result.”
He then assaulted her with a device, according to court papers.
She said she left the ranch after three or four days.
A lawyer representing the executors of Epstein’s estate did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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