ANDY HAS TO KNOW
Prince Andrew MUST have seen schoolgirls at paedo Epstein’s mansions, victims’ lawyer Gloria Allred insists
PRINCE Andrew must have known about paedophile pal's Jeffrey Epstein's sick desires for young girls, according to a lawyer for the victims.
Gloria Allred, who is representing five of the women, made her shocking claims when she appeared on Good Morning Britain today.
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Host Piers Morgan asked her if it was possible could have been around mega-rich Epstein's world without being aware of his "predilection for all these young girls."
She replied: "I don't see how he could have not known that there were underage girls because he did visit homes of Mr Epstein in New York, in Palm Beach and in the Virgin Islands and I happen to know there were underage girls in all those locations.
'"Why didn't he ask the right questions (like) 'Why are you here, why aren't you in school'
"I guess if he didn't want to see them he could have not seen them but I don't know how he couldn't know when there were so many of them there."
She has now called on the Prince to do the "honourable" thing and tell the FBI everything he knows about Epstein sex crimes.
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She: "The right and honourable action for Prince Andrew to take now is for him to volunteer to be interviewed by the FBI and prosecutors for the southern district of New York.
“Prince Andrew has decided to enter the court of public opinion with this interview and people can decide whether to believe him or not.
"The most important part of this is the victims and very little was said about them in this interview. They were almost completely ignored.”
Lisa Bloom, who represents another five victims, added the interview with the BBC was "deeply disappointing.”
Bloom said: “He is entitled to deny allegations and defend himself. But where is his apology for being so closely associated with one of history’s most prolific paedophiles?”
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Allred added to : “Anyone, whether a prince or a pauper, should provide what evidence they have to law enforcement in a criminal investigation.
“The only way we will know what happened is if Prince Andrew and anyone who has any knowledge passes it on to the FBI and prosecutors without delay and without excuse."
The lawyer later claimed the Royal may even have information which which could help with further prosecutions on the other side of the Atlantic.
She told Good Morning Britain: "He very may well have evidence or information that is relevant to possibly prosecute others who conspired to help sex traffic underage girls."
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Allred's comments came as another lawyer warned the Duke of York's interview could one day be used against him in court.
Anna Rothwell, from the criminal law firm Corker Binning, said she would "never advise" her clients to speak publicly if they were under investigation.
She said Andrew's attempt to try to publicly defend his reputation in the wake of Epstein sex scandal was "pretty disastrous".
"I think talking full stop in circumstances where you are under investigation is unwise," Ms Rothwell said.
"Anything he has said, if he were to be prosecuted, could be used to cross-examine him."
The biggest takeaways from the Prince Andrew interview
- Epstein was invited to Windsor Castle as ‘plus one’ for Ghislaine Maxwell
- Prince Andrew doesn’t regret his friendship with Epstein
- He is under pressure to talk to the FBI about his paedo pal
- The royal regrets visiting the paedo in NYC in December 2010
- The 59-year-old claims he was at a Pizza Express in Woking on the night Virginia Roberts alleges she had sex with him aged 17
- The prince claims he can’t sweat after Ms Roberts alleged he ‘sweat profusely’
- The Duke of York would testify under oath ‘if push came to shove’
- Prince Andrew described Epstein’s behaviour as ‘unbecoming’
Royal experts were also dumbstruck by the Prince's decision to appear on TV to discuss his relationship with his paedophile billionaire pal, who died in jail in August.
However, the Duke, 59, is believed to be unaware of the worldwide outrage sparked by his interview with Emily Maitlis, shown on BBC2 on Saturday night.
During the one-to-one he went into astonishing personal detail to deny accusations he had sex with a teenage girl.
He claimed he was in a Pizza Express on the night he is accused of sleeping with Virginia Roberts, a “sex slave” of his paedo pal Epstein.
The Duke also said a “peculiar medical condition” triggered by being shot at in the Falklands War meant he could not have “sweated profusely” — as she has claimed.
He appeared to suggest a photo of them at a friend’s flat in 2001 could have been faked. Asked about claims that they had sex, he said: “I can absolutely categorically tell you it never happened.”
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In the interview shown on BBC2, Andrew told Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis he did not regret his friendship with the late Epstein.
In September, the Sunday Times reported the FBI had expanded its investigation to identify alleged human trafficking victims of Epstein.
Citing unidentified sources from the US Department of Justice, the newspaper said the FBI was looking to "several" potential victims in the hope they can provide more details about Andrew and his involvement in the case.
Emily Maitlis questions Prince Andrew as he describes Jeffrey Epstein's actions as 'unbecoming' during BBC Newsnight interview