On Tuesday, 23 women came to the New York City courtroom to claim they had been exploited by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died of apparent suicide on August 10 while awaiting trial.
Among these women was the first known British accuser of Epstein - Anouska de Georgiou.
Along with alleged victims Virginia Roberts Giuffre and Courtney Wild, de Georgiou spoke of her contact with Epstein: “I was a victim, and it has taken me many, many years to stand here and say, yes, it was me. I was a victim, but I will not remain a victim and be silent for one more day.”
Who is Anouska de Georgiou?
De Georgiou is a 42 year old British model and actress, who is believed to currently live in Los Angeles. She is the daughter of financier Anthony and Barbara de Georgiou, a former debutante and director of a jewellery company. Educated in the UK, de Georgiou is said to have turned down a place at Oxford University to pursue a career as a model and actress.
After starring in campaigns for the likes of Guy Laroche, she would then go on to feature in a number of films and television projects. Her most high profile project is 2004 film Alfie, in which she starred alongside Jude Law, and she has also since starred in reality TV show California Dreaming and a 2009 film called 21 and a Wake Up.
Various tabloids have also reported that de Georgiou worked as a model for Playboy and she has been connected to high profile stars, including a former relationship with Baywatch star David Hasselhoff. The Sun also claim that she has been linked to Jared Leto, Russell Brand and Blue’s Lee Ryan.
How does she know Kate Middleton?
It is not known if the pair were ever close, however The Sun claimed that the pair had attended Marlborough College together, though at 42 Georgiou is a few years older than 37 year old Middleton.
What allegations has she made against Jeffrey Epstein?
On Tuesday, de Georgiou spoke out against Epstein alongside 22 other alleged victims. She said that she met Epstein when she was “young and full of hope and the foolishness of a teenager”, continuing that he had exploited and abused her over the course of “several years”.
She said, “Jeffrey Epstein manipulated me, coerced me and abused me. He cannot begin to fathom what he did to us. Although I think it is tragic when anyone died before their time, I am extremely relieved he will not be able to hurt any more children."
"Something I think is very important to communicate is that loss of innocence, trust, and joy that is not recoverable,” she said. “The abuse, spanning several years, was devaluing beyond measure and affected my ability to form and maintain healthy relationships, both in my work and my personal life. He could not begin to fathom what he took from us."
What happened at the Jeffrey Epstein hearing?
The nature of the Epstein trial has changed following the death of the disgraced financier. Epstein had been held on charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking underage girls.
Prior to the hearing, prosecutors on the case asked for the charges to be dropped against Epstein as he was now dead, but federal judge Richard Berman explained that he had allowed the hearing to take place “because of [his alleged victims] relevant experiences and because they should always be involved before, rather than after, the fact”.
He continued, “What little drama might happen today, I don’t think, would be very significant. Public hearings promote transparency and provide the court with insights and information that the court might otherwise not be aware of.”
The 23 women who chose to give their testimony included Anouska de Georgiou, Courtney Wild, Chauntae Davies, Michelle Licata, Theresa J. Helm, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, Sarah Ransome, Annie Farmer (sister to alleged victim Maria Farmer), Marijke Chartouni, Jennifer Araoz, Teala Davies and several other women who chose to remain anonymous.
The women made a number of allegations against the financier, with Davies claiming that while she was massaging Epstein he had sexually assaulted despite her telling him to stop. Another unnamed woman claimed that she had been flown to Epstein’s property on Zorro Ranch where she was “sexually molested by him for many hours” as he told her it was a “beneficial” experience.
Others also identified a pattern of alleged behaviour in which he manipulated women in “very vulnerable situations and in extreme poverty” or used his influence and wealth to win them over, with one woman claiming that he “would write me a letter of recommendation for Harvard”.
One woman said, “We will always carry irreparable damage and pain throughout our lives after this. It's something that's never going to go away. Whoever we marry in our life, whatever future we have in our life, it's always going to be something that's always there for us.”
Some also described how they had contemplated suicide and many spoke of how their lives had been irrevocably changed by his alleged actions, as well as the fact that Epstein would “not have his day in court”.
Wild told the court, “I feel very angry and sad that justice has never been served in this case.”
Ransome also said, "We, the victims, are still here, prepared to tell the truth, and we all know he did not act alone. We are survivors, and the pursuit of justice should not abate."
Notably, Giuffre also doubled down on her accusations against Epstein’s close friend Prince Andrew as she previously claimed that she had been forced to have sexual intercourse with him on three different occasions.
Prince Andrew has since denied the accusations but admitted it was a “mistake and an error” to visit Epstein after he was released from prison, adding that he had never seen any suspicious behaviour on his part. Giuffre said, "He knows what he's done and he can attest to that. He knows exactly what he's done and I hope he comes clean about it."
A source close to Prince Andrew has since told the Evening Standard that Giuffre's claims were "categorically untrue" and alleged that there were "so many inconsistencies" in her testimony. They also claimed that Prince Andrew had "absolutely no recollection" of a 2001 photograph depicting Prince Andrew with his arm around Giuffre's bare waist as Ghislaine Maxwell, who has strongly denied allegations that she was Epstein's madam, smiles on in the background.
The source also questioned the legitimacy of the image in question, claiming that Prince Andrew's fingers and height "don't look right" and added that a judge had ruled five years ago that her testimony "should be stricken". They additionally added that they felt it was a "witch-hunt based on absolutely no evidence" and continued, "I know that HRH feels deeply for the victims of Epstein but he has no way to respond...other than to continue his denials because he had no knowledge of them."
Gloria Allred, a lawyer representing many of Epstein’s victims, said, “Everybody knows the system failed, failed the victims, failed the court ... failed everyone.”
For survivors of sexual abuse seeking support, more information can be found on the NHS’ dedicated guide to resources for victims as well as via Rape Crisis. NSPCC additionally operates a 24 hour helpline to help victims of child abuse, which can be contacted at 0808 800 5000 and more information can be found on their website.
