Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell together in 2005. Photo / Getty
Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell together in 2005. Photo / Getty
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
Victims of Jeffrey Epstein urged prosecutors to question British heiress Ghislaine Maxwell, telling a packed New York courtroom that she should answer for her role in Epstein's web of child sex trafficking.
More than a dozen accusers spoke at an emotionally charged hearing to close the caseagainst Epstein, who killed himself on August 10 inside a Manhattan jail.
Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell together in 2005. Photo / Getty
Several women mentioned Maxwell, a longtime Epstein companion, by name when calling for the investigations to continue.
Chauntae Davies gave a harrowing account of being recruited by Maxwell and then raped at Epstein's US Virgin Islands home.
"I was searching for words but all I could say was 'no'," she said.
"But that seemed to excite him more. I ran off, my feet bloody from the rocks on the island. I cried myself to sleep that night."
Virginia Roberts-Giuffre, who has claimed she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew, told the court: "I am a victim of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell."
She said that she had been thrown into a "dark hole of criminal acts they committed against me and hundreds of other girls and young women."
Virginia Roberts Giuffre, a sexual assault victim, speaks during a press conference outside a Manhattan court where sexual victims addressed a hearing. Photo / AP
She continued: "When I was recruited by Ghislaine Maxwell at Mar-a-Lago, just before I turned 17, I thought I was given a big chance to make a life as a massage therapist. Those hopes were quickly dashed."
Roberts-Giuffre, who now lives in Australia, added: "This is not the end."
Another Epstein accuser, South African-born Sarah Ransome, told the court that she too was "a victim of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell."
She added: "We all know that he did not act alone. We are all survivors, and the pursuit of justice should not end."
Maxwell, 56, has always denied accusations of any wrongdoing.
On August 14 she was reported to have been lying low in a Massachusetts mansion; a day later The New York Post published a photo of her - the first since 2016 - taken at a Los Angeles burger bar.
The paper claimed the photo was taken earlier that week. She has not been seen since.
Ghislaine Maxwell has always denied accusations of any wrongdoing. Photo / AP
Her lawyers have not responded to The Daily Telegraph's requests for comment.
In court, accuser after accuser stepped forwards to tell how Epstein and his associates inflicted immeasurable damage on their lives.
Jennifer Araoz, who came forward on July 10 to accuse Epstein of raping her when she was 14, fought back tears.
"The fact that I will never have the chance to face my predator in court eats away at my soul," she said.
"This weak, evil coward will never steal our inner strength. And he will never, ever, ever steal our voice."
Reid Weingarten, Epstein's lawyer, said that Epstein's body had been moved before forensic analysis could be carried out, and demanded to know why the prison guards were reportedly refusing to testify about events on the night of his death, and why his team had not been able to view video camera footage from inside the jail.
In court, accuser after accuser stepped forwards to tell how Jeffrey Epstein and his associates inflicted immeasurable damage on their lives. Photo / AP
The footage, he said, was "corrupted", and he wanted to know how long the system had been malfunctioning.
"What if the tapes only broke down when he died? Then we are in a whole different territory," he said, saying that the whole case was full of "conspiracy theory galore".
"I think it is the understatement of the year to say the world looks and feels different to when I last stood here," he said.
"The elephant in the room is what happened to our client."
Courtney Wild, whose July 15 testimony helped ensure Epstein was not granted bail, also expressed anger at his death.
"Jeffrey Epstein sexually abused me for years, robbing me of my innocence and mental health," she said.
"Jeffrey Epstein robbed myself and the other victims of our chance to confront him, one by one.
"For that he is a coward. I feel very angry and sad. Justice has never been served in this case."
Gloria Allred, famed women's rights lawyer, is representing five women and preparing to speak to several more. Photo / AP
Judge Richard Berman, presiding over the court, listened attentively as the women told their stories - many of them for the first time.
In the front row sat Geoffrey Berman, US attorney for the Southern District of New York, whose decision to arrest Epstein on July 6 reopened the case.
He was surrounded by some of America's most high-powered lawyers - among them David Boies, Al Gore's former lawyer, representing five of the victims; Paul Cassell, a former federal prosecutor now working for four accusers; and Gloria Allred, famed women's rights lawyer, representing five women and preparing to speak to several more.
Epstein was repeatedly described as "sick" and "depraved", a man who resorted to "insidious and pathological violence".
"In 2004, at the age of 14, I was flown to Jeffrey Epstein's Zorro Ranch in New Mexico and molested for hours," said one accuser, whose anonymous statement was read out by Allred.
"What I remember most vividly was him explaining how beneficial this was to me as he abused me. Especially as he positioned me on the floor, looking at the photos of him smiling with famous people.
"After he finished with me, he wanted me to describe how good my first sexual experience was."
Where to get help:
• If it's an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111. • If you've ever experienced sexual assault or abuse and need to talk to someone call the confidential crisis helpline Safe to Talk on: 0800 044 334 or text 4334. • Alternatively contact your local police station • If you have been abused, remember it's not your fault.
