Steve Scully, Jeffrey Epstein’s former telecoms specialist, claims he saw Prince Andrew groping Virginia Giuffre, who has accused the prince of sexual assault. In a trailer to the forthcoming documentary 'Spotlight: Sex, Lies and Videotape' made by 7News TV channel, the 71-year-old staffer said the incident occurred between 2001 and 2004 at Epstein’s private island Little Saint James.
"[Andrew] removed her bathing-suit top and then started grinding against her and grabbing her a**. They were kissing as well. Virginia was standing there, she kinda looked like she was like a deer caught in the headlights of the car," Scully said.
The telecoms specialist said he was certain he saw Prince Andrew and said he is ready to testify under oath during the trial. However, a source close to the prince has questioned the veracity of Mr Scully’s account.
"He gives a timeframe up until 2004 when he claims to have witnessed an encounter between the Duke of York and Mrs Giuffre, by which time Mrs Giuffre was long since married [in 2002] and no longer working for Epstein. It’s also worth noting that Mrs Giuffre’s own account of her alleged encounter with the Duke on Little St James bears absolutely no resemblance whatever to Mr Scully’s recollections," the source told the Sun newspaper.
Jeffrey Epstein and Accusations Against Prince Andrew
The royal’s accuser, 38-year-old campaigner Virginia Roberts Giuffre, is one of the alleged sex slaves of Jeffrey Epstein, a US financier, who was accused by dozens of women of rape and sexual assault. Some of the individuals claim the abuse took place when they were underage. The victims have alleged that they were lured into Epstein’s hands by his former girlfriend and life companion Ghislaine Maxwell, who promised them well-paid job in the house of a millionaire.
Epstein had many acquaintances in high places, including politicians, actors, billionaires, entrepreneurs, and royals, including Prince Andrew. Giuffre claims that when she was a minor she was trafficked to London by Epstein and his alleged accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell and was forced to have sex with the prince. Mrs Giuffre alleged that Prince Andrew had sex with her at least two more times without her consent.
On 9 August, Mrs Giuffre filed a civil lawsuit in New York seeking "accountability" from Prince Andrew and demanding an unspecified amount in damages from the royal.
The Duke has categorically denied the accusation. In an interview with the BBC he said he had an alibi for the day the alleged sexual intercourse occurred in London and had no recollection of meeting Giuffre.
However, his remarks were cast in doubt as there is at least one photo showing the royal with a young Giuffre [when she was Virginia Roberts], reportedly at Ghislaine Maxwell's mansion, with Prince Andrew’s hand around the girl's waist. A London resident claims to have seen him dancing with Giuffre at a nightclub on the day the alleged sexual intercourse occurred.
Epstein had many acquaintances in high places, including politicians, actors, billionaires, entrepreneurs, and royals, including Prince Andrew. Giuffre claims that when she was a minor she was trafficked to London by Epstein and his alleged accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell and was forced to have sex with the prince. Mrs Giuffre alleged that Prince Andrew had sex with her at least two more times without her consent.
On 9 August, Mrs Giuffre filed a civil lawsuit in New York seeking "accountability" from Prince Andrew and demanding an unspecified amount in damages from the royal.
The Duke has categorically denied the accusation. In an interview with the BBC he said he had an alibi for the day the alleged sexual intercourse occurred in London and had no recollection of meeting Giuffre.
However, his remarks were cast in doubt as there is at least one photo showing the royal with a young Giuffre [when she was Virginia Roberts], reportedly at Ghislaine Maxwell's mansion, with Prince Andrew’s hand around the girl's waist. A London resident claims to have seen him dancing with Giuffre at a nightclub on the day the alleged sexual intercourse occurred.
Prince Andrew, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, and Ghislaine Maxwell. This photo was included in an affidavit in which Giuffre alleged that she was directed to have sex with Andrew
© Photo : Florida Southern District Court
Epstein’s alleged victims claim the financier and his powerful friends abused them on his private island. Steve Scully, who visited Little Saint James several times, said he worked for Epstein between 1999 and 2006 and decided to quit over personal concerns of "unsupervised young women".
"I really started seeing things weren’t normal in the first year. There were photos of topless women everywhere. On his desk, in his office, in his bedroom," Scully said.
Epstein was arrested in July 2019 on charges of running a sex-trafficking network of minors. He was found hanged in a cell with his death being ruled a suicide. Supporters of conspiracy theories believe he was either murdered by his powerful friends, who feared they could be implicated in the scandal, or escaped prison by planting a body double.
Ghislaine Maxwell, who was dubbed by the media as Epstein’s "pimp", was arrested by the FBI in July 2020 and is awaiting trial in the in the Metropolitan Detention Centre in New York City. She faces eight charges, including sex trafficking of minors and enticing minors as young as 14 to engage in illegal sex acts. She claims she is innocent and insists that the prosecution has made her a scapegoat for Epstein's crimes. Her trial is scheduled to start on 29 November.