American Virginia Giuffre, who accused British Prince Andrew of rape, has committed suicide, NBC reported.
“She committed suicide after a lifetime of sexual abuse“, Giuffre's family said in a statement to the media. “Virginia was a brave warrior. Her light helped many victims survive. Ultimately, the burden of abuse became so heavy that Virginia could not bear the burden.“
In 2021, Giuffre filed a lawsuit against Prince Andrew. She claimed that the younger brother of British King Charles III was among several men with whom she was forced to have sex when she was 17 years old by American financier Jeffrey Epstein.
In August 2022, the parties reached an out-of-court settlement, according to which the American was paid compensation. The amount was not officially announced, but according to publications in the British media it is about $ 15 million.
Epstein was arrested by law enforcement agencies of the state of New York on July 6, 2019. Prosecutors said they had evidence that between 2002 and 2005, he received dozens of underage girls, the youngest of whom was 14 years old. Epstein's circle of friends and acquaintances includes a large number of former heads of state, big businessmen and show business stars. The financier's criminal prosecution in the US was dropped after he committed suicide in his prison cell on August 10, 2019.