Andrew ‘used as bait’ to lure girls to Jeffrey Epstein’s island of sex abuse

Andrew’s name was allegedly used to lure a victim of Jeffrey Epstein to his private island.

The Duke of York was used as bait to try to lure a teenage victim of the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein to his private island, it has been claimed.

One of Epstein’s assistants is alleged to have offered the girl, who was 15, the chance to meet Prince Andrew in an attempt to persuade her to visit Little St James in the Caribbean when both men would be staying there. 

The woman, who refers to herself as Jane Doe 15, claims that Epstein – who killed himself in a New York prison in August – had already subjected her to a “vicious, prolonged sexual assault” before this offer was made.

She says the alleged assault took place in 2004 on his Zorro ranch compound in New Mexico. Epstein’s representative then contacted the teenager to entice her to come to the island. However, she turned down the invitation “out of fear”, did not meet the prince and never saw Epstein again.

The allegations have been made in a letter to Andrew by Jane Doe 15’s lawyer, Gloria Allred, which was sent to the duke last week and has been seen by The Sunday Times. 

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“A central element of [Epstein’s] predatory behaviour was to present himself as having connections to the world’s most powerful people,” Ms Allred, who is representing five of Epstein’s victims, writes.

“In trying to persuade her [to go to the island], Mr Epstein’s representative conveyed to Jane Doe 15 that Mr Epstein was close to you, that you would be among the guests and that she would have an opportunity to meet you. Your prestige and reputation were directly touted in his attempts to engage in further harm.”

‘Jane Doe 15’ has claimed Prince Andrew’s name was used to tempt her to Jeffrey Epstein’s -private island. Picture: AFP.

Ms Allred then calls on the prince to provide “sworn testimony” to the FBI in the “interest of serving justice and in helping the victims of Mr Epstein to find peace”.

Andrew was already under pressure to speak to investigators in the US in the wake of his BBC Newsnight interview last month about his friendship with the billionaire sex offender.

The Sunday Times revealed last month that the FBI wanted to interview Andrew about his connections to Epstein. 

Andrew had said in a public statement that he was “willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations if required.”

Prince Andrew with Donald Trump earlier this year. Picture: Getty Images.

According to Jane Doe 15’s complaint, which was filed at New York’s southern district court last month, Epstein’s team began grooming and manipulating her when she visited the city on a school trip with her drama club.

According to claims made in court documents, she met one of his assistants first, who took her to Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse, where she was photographed and given an iPod. Jane Doe 15 was invited about two weeks later to Epstein’s ranch, where she alleges he sexually assaulted her.

“Epstein took my sexual innocence in front of a wall of framed photographs of him shaking hands and smiling with celebrities and world leaders,” she claims in her statement.

“After, he wanted to talk with me about what had just been my first sexual experience and directed me to take time to myself that night to cry. He said that would be beneficial for my growth.”

Epstein then asked her how much money she wanted from him towards her university bills, she alleges.

“At 15 years old, living in northern Michigan with my mother, stepfather and grandfather, I had no idea how to respond to a billionaire who had just raped me,” she says.

“I was being asked to quantify in monetary terms what had been taken from me.” She agreed to $5,000, she says, and Epstein “wrote a cheque made out to the college I so desperately wanted to attend and that I was not sure my parents could afford”.

Jane Doe 15 also claims that during the New Mexico trip, she flew on Epstein’s jet, which has been dubbed the “Lolita Express”, with several other young girls.

“I left Zorro Ranch with a deep sense of shame, not just a shame of his having sexually abused me, but the shame of knowing that I had somehow been duped,” she states.

“It was the weight of Epstein’s wealth, the isolation to which he subjected me and his discussion of his social connections that crushed me into submission, far more than his physical strength.”

Speaking to The Sunday Times, her lawyer repeated her call for Andrew to speak to the FBI. “Prince Andrew has taken the decision that he’s done nothing wrong, so why would he hesitate to speak to law enforcement?” Ms Allred asked. “Is he afraid he might incriminate himself? What does he have to fear?”

Her five clients have launched civil lawsuits in an attempt to win damages from Epstein’s $577m estate. A separate criminal case is still seeking possible witnesses and accomplices to Epstein’s sex-trafficking operations.

Ms Allred has previously waged legal battles with Tiger Woods, OJ Simpson, Michael Jackson and Roman Polanski.

Meanwhile, Ms Allred’s lawyer daughter, Lisa Bloom, is set to fly two witnesses, who claim they saw Andrew with Virginia Giuffre at Tramp nightclub in London, across the Atlantic to speak to the FBI. 

Giuffre claims that she was forced to have sex with Andrew after dancing with him at Tramp, as well as on two later occasions. The duke has vehemently denied the allegations. 

Allred wants Andrew to speak to the FBI as soon as possible.

“Tempus fugit! The clock is ticking,” she said. “He shouldn’t be trying to decide how what he knows helps or hurts anybody; he should just provide the facts. The prince needs to speak without condition, without delay. The world is watching.”

The palace declined to comment.

Dear Prince Andrew …

This is an edited version of Gloria Allred’s letter to the duke

“Your Royal Highness,

I write on behalf of my client, “Jane Doe 15”, who was sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein when she was just 15 years old. Mr Epstein groomed her for his use as a sexual object, then lured her to his ranch in New Mexico, where he subjected her to a vicious, prolonged sexual assault.

We write now to seek your co-operation to bring out the truth about his predatory behaviour. You are no doubt aware by now that Mr Epstein was a skilled manipulator and abuser of minor girls. A central element of that predatory behaviour was to present himself as having connections to the world’s most powerful people.

After Mr Epstein sexually assaulted Jane Doe 15 in New Mexico, his representative contacted her again to attempt to lure her to Mr Epstein’s private island. In trying to persuade her, Mr Epstein’s representative conveyed to Jane Doe 15 that Mr Epstein was close to you, that you would be among the guests and that she would have an opportunity to meet you. Your prestige and reputation were directly touted in his attempts to engage in further harm.

We urge you now to actively participate in providing sworn testimony to the FBI, and voluntarily to submit to a sworn deposition in Jane Doe 15’s lawsuit.”

The Sunday Times