Virginia, now 37, is the key witness in the case against Jean-Luc Brunel, 75, who has been charged by French magistrates with multiple counts of rape.
Brunel is alleged to have attacked teenage Virginia repeatedly while a guest on Epstein’s Caribbean bolthole Little St James – dubbed Paedo Island.
He vehemently deny any wrongdoing, but in December he was remanded in custody in Paris after being charged with multiple rapes of Virginia and a separate case of sexual harassment against an unidentified complainant.
His arrest came after dozens of women claimed Brunel abused them while running an underage sex ring with Epstein, who hanged himself in jail in 2019.
Almost all of the accusations levelled against Brunel are from the 1970s, 80s and 90s, meaning they fall outside the 20-year limit for prosecuting sex crimes in France.
The model agency boss was considered “untouchable” by police who nicknamed him The Ghost as he carried on working in the French capital and frequently travelled abroad on scouting assignments and holidays.
But in November Virginia responded to an online appeal by French magistrates for Brunel’s alleged victims to come forward.
“Ms Giuffre now lives in Australia but responded to the appeal,” said an investigating source.
“She was interviewed remotely, and provided considerable evidence against Brunel.
“She said that she was raped by Brunel in the early 2000s, including in 2001. This was a considerable breakthrough for the enquiry.”
The alleged crime was within the statute of limitations, and therefore prosecutable…
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