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Prince Andrew has been reported to police after court paperwork linked him to late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and referred to sexual assault claims.
Anti-monarchy activist group Republic stated it had submitted a criticism to the Metropolitan Police.
“It’s time for the Met Police to act,” the organisation posted, calling on the power to reopen its investigations.
Prince Andrew was famously photographed together with his arm round Virginia Giuffre’s waist
(US District Court – Southern Dis)
Millionaire financier Epstein, who socialised with royalty and celebrities, was accused of operating a big community of underage ladies for sex. While awaiting trial, he killed himself in his jail cell in 2019.
Forty-five court paperwork, containing a whole lot of pages of interviews and transcripts, have been opened on a decide’s orders in a lawsuit towards Epstein by one among his victims, Virginia Giuffre.
The swimsuit was settled in 2017 however till now the paperwork had been sealed or redacted, concealing the identities of at the very least 100 victims, associates or mates of Epstein, every referred to as “J Doe”, together with a particular figuring out quantity.
More names are due to be revealed within the coming days as the paperwork proceed to be opened.
The Duke of York is talked about greater than 70 occasions within the papers, together with allegations that he had an orgy with underage ladies and touched a lady’s breast whereas posing with a puppet of himself.
Andrew, 63, who has strenuously denied the allegations, paid hundreds of thousands of kilos to settle a civil case out of court – with no request for forgiveness – with Ms Giuffre, who accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17.
He was stripped of his army titles and requested to step down as a working royal in 2022 after the claims emerged.
The Metropolitan Police introduced in October 2021 that they’d closed their evaluate of Ms Giuffre’s claims within the US civil motion, stating that they might take no additional motion.
But Graham Smith, Republic’s chief government, requested that the King make a public assertion and take questions from the press on the matter.
He additionally referred to as on MPs to debate the claims in Parliament.
“To date, there appears to have been no serious criminal investigation, no interview of the accused or other witnesses, and no clear justification for taking no action,” he stated.
“How can we not expect a response from the government and head of state? At the time of the alleged offences, Andrew was a government trade ambassador and an active member of the royal family.
“They fudged and obfuscated for 11 years before taking any definitive action.”
Mr Smith added: “The question many people will be asking is simple: if the accused were anyone else, do we believe they wouldn’t have been investigated and prosecuted?”
In his position as a commerce envoy from 2001 to 2011, the Duke earned the nickname “Airmiles Andy” for his use of personal jets and helicopters, enterprise offers overseas and his hyperlinks with controversial dictators and businessmen.
The Met Police and representatives of the duke have been approached for a remark.
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