Prince Andrew: Judge makes request to Australian authorities

The New York judge overseeing Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s sexual abuse case against Prince Andrew has made a surprise request to the Morrison government.

The New York judge overseeing Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s sexual abuse case against Prince Andrew has requested assistance from Australian legal authorities in obtaining testimony from potential witnesses outside the US.

In a letter to Attorney-General Michaelia Cash, Judge Lewis Kaplan has requested assistance in acquiring evidence for the civil claim filed by Ms Roberts Giuffre, the BBC reports.

Prince Andrew, 61, has consistently denied Ms Giuffre’s allegations.

Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who has brought a lawsuit against him. Picture: AFP

She alleges Prince Andrew sexually assaulted her on three occasions when she was 17 and being trafficked by the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The formal request from Judge Lewis Kaplan comes after petitions filed by the legal teams of Ms Roberts Giuffre and Prince Andrew, the BBC reports.

Two requests have been sent to the Australian Attorney-General, fulfilling applications from Prince Andrew’s team, the BBC said.

The first is a request for Australian authorities to take a statement from Robert Giuffre, Ms Giuffre’s husband.

Prince Andrew’s legal team contend that Mr Giuffre lives in Australia.

The photo that shows Prince Andrew with Virginia Giuffre and Ghislaine Maxwell in the background. Picture: AFP

The judge asked for Mr Giuffre’s testimony to include how he met his wife, his discussions with her about Prince Andrew, her alleged childhood trauma and abuse, and her relationship with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

The second is a request to obtain the testimony of Ms Giuffre’s therapist Dr Judith Lightfoot, who the legal team said also lives in Australia.

The request has asked for testimony on Dr Lightfoot’s opinions of the alleged psychological harm suffered by Ms Roberts Giuffre, a theory of false memories and the consequences of her childhood trauma.

Ms Roberts Giuffre had requested that Judge Kaplan ask British authorities for help in obtaining testimony from Prince Andrew’s former equerry, Robert Olney.

Ms Giuffre’s lawyers said Mr Olney’s name and phone number were in the contacts book of Epstein and that the former assistant would have knowledge of his relationship with Prince Andrew, the BBC reports.

Judge Kaplan has also sent a request asking for a statement to be taken from Shukri Walker, who has said she saw Prince Andrew at Tramps nightclub in London in March 2001 with a young woman who may have been Ms Roberts Giuffre.

The New York judge has requested that the testimony of all four witnesses be completed by April 29.