JEFFERY Epstein sex slave Virginia Roberts Giuffre gave prosecutors enough evidence to secure the arrest of the paedo financier's model agent pal, it has emerged.
Virginia, now 37, is the key witness in the case against Jean-Luc Brunel, 75, who has been charged by French magistrates with multiple counts of rape.
Brunel is alleged to have attacked teenage Virginia repeatedly while a guest on Epstein's Caribbean bolthole Little St James – dubbed Paedo Island.
He vehemently deny any wrongdoing, but in December he was remanded in custody in Paris after being charged with multiple rapes of Virginia and a separate case of sexual harassment against an unidentified complainant.
His arrest came after dozens of women claimed Brunel abused them while running an underage sex ring with Epstein, who hanged himself in jail in 2019.
Almost all of the accusations levelled against Brunel are from the 1970s, 80s and 90s, meaning they fall outside the 20-year limit for prosecuting sex crimes in France.
The model agency boss was considered "untouchable" by police who nicknamed him The Ghost as he carried on working in the French capital and frequently travelled abroad on scouting assignments and holidays.
But in November Virginia responded to an online appeal by French magistrates for Brunel's alleged victims to come forward.
"Ms Giuffre now lives in Australia but responded to the appeal," said an investigating source.
"She was interviewed remotely, and provided considerable evidence against Brunel.
"She said that she was raped by Brunel in the early 2000s, including in 2001. This was a considerable breakthrough for the enquiry."
The alleged crime was within the statute of limitations, and therefore prosecutable.
Officers planned to arrest Brunel in January following further enquiries, but on December 16 he was intercepted at Charles de Gaulle airport with a one-way ticket to Dakar in West Africa.
"This led to his immediate arrest and he was placed in custody," said the source.
"The multiple rape charges solely relate to the testimony of Virginia Giuffre, and not any of the other alleged rape victims."
Virginia has provided sworn testimony that she was raped on several occasions by Brunel between the ages of 16 and 19, mostly at Epstein's private island retreat.
She also alleges she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew while he was staying there – which he vehemently denies.
After Brunel's arrest in December, Virginia taunted the Duke on Twitter saying: "Are you sweating yet, Prince Andrew? You should be.
"Your buddy Jean-Luc Brunel is behind bars. Remember those girls he supplied to you on the island?
“Those who participated in this sex trafficking ring should be worried."
It was a dig at the Duke's defence against her previous claims they shared a sweaty dance in London, which he said was impossible as he was medically unable to perspire.
'TRAFFICKING RING'
According to French law, a French citizen such as Brunel can be tried for offences committed abroad.
A French judicial enquiry into Brunel’s conduct and the Epstein sex ring was opened in August 2019, when prosecutors first heard allegations Brunel and the Queen’s second son shared a lover.
Brunel was the founder of model agency MC2, which prosecutors believe was used as a cover for the sex trafficking ring.
Evidence gathered by a parallel FBI probe includes allegations that Brunel flew two 12-year-old girls to Epstein as a "birthday present".
Others said to have been involved include British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, 59, who is currently on remand in the US charged with trafficking of underage girls and enticing minors.
Last year we revealed pictures of Brunel wrestling with a squealing Maxwell on the terrace of Epstein's pad in Little St James.
Out-of-time evidence against Brunel comes from a number of former models, who – like Ms Giuffre – have waived their anonymity to make their allegations public.
New Zealander Zoe Brock has claimed in statements to French investigators that she was abused in his Paris home in the early 1990s.
And Dutch model Thysia Huisman, who was 18 when she first stayed with Brunel, said she was raped by him in 1991.
She is one of at least four alleged victims represented by Anne-Claire Le Jeune, a Paris barrister, who said seeing Brunel in custody was a huge relief because their complaints now "take on meaning".
Sigrid McCawley, Virginia Giuffre’s lawyer, confirmed her client was cooperating with the French enquiry and had offered evidence.
She said: "My clients and I are delighted [by the French prosecution]. This is a sign that the investigation by the French authorities is advancing.
"Jean-Luc Brunel played a key role in Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking ring. Virginia Giuffre in particular, my oldest client, made it a personal struggle to hold the people who assaulted so many young girls to account.
"She is grateful to the French authorities for taking Jean-Luc Brunel's behaviour very seriously."
Brunel's lawyer Marianne Abgrall said: "My client formally disputes the facts of which he is accused.
"He is very upset that his name is dragged through the mud without moderation."
French investigators are said to want to question Prince Andrew as a witness in the Brunel probe.
Prince Andrew has said he does not remember ever meeting Virginia Roberts and denies they had any sexual contact.
He also denies being aware of any wrongdoing during his friendship with Epstein.
Source: Read Full Article
