British Police Drop Investigation into Prince Andrew Sexual Abuse Claims
Following a review of sexual assault claims involving Prince Andrew, Duke of York, British law enforcement officers have decided to drop the investigation.
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Prince Andrew has until Oct. 29 to respond to the claims
British police officers drop the investigation into sexual assault allegations involving Prince Andrew, the Duke of York.
Virginia Giuffre, who filed the lawsuit in August in New York against the Prince, alleging that she was forced to have sex with him, was first trafficked at the age of 16.
Giuffre claims she was forced to have sex with the Prince at least three times by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who was found dead in a jail cell in August 2019.
She says the first instance of abuse by the Prince was in London, at the home of Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime companion.
On Monday, London’s Metropolitan police service said it was “taking no further action” but that it would continue to “liaise with other law enforcement agencies who lead the investigation into matters related to Jeffrey Epstein.”
However, according to the Associated Press, the lawsuit in New York remains ongoing, and the Prince has until October 29 to respond to the claims.
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A picture of the Prince and Giuffre surfaced in 2011
Andrew denied the allegations and said he had no recollection of meeting Giuffre or having sexual encounters with her.
In a statement to ABC News, Giuffre said: “I am holding Prince Andrew accountable for what he did to me. The powerful and the rich are not exempt from being held responsible for their actions. I hope that other victims will see that it is possible not to live in silence and fear, but one can reclaim her life by speaking out and demanding justice.”
Virginia Giuffre, 38, is living now in Australia with her family. The lawsuit she filed was brought under the Child Victims Act and sought unspecified damages and compensation.
