Epstein non-survivor Virginia Roberts Giuffre's > Nobody's Girl

 

Nobody’s Girl by Virginia Roberts Giuffre review – a devastating exposé of power, corruption and abuse

Giuffre’s posthumously published memoir lays bare the life-wrecking impact of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes – but it is also the story of how a young woman becomes a hero

There is a strand running through Nobody’s Girl – a memoir by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who died by suicide in April this year – in which the activist and survivor of Jeffrey Epstein grapples with something more insidious than abuse. “I know it is a lot to take in,” she writes after a gruelling early passage detailing how she was sexually abused as a child. “But please don’t stop reading.” After recounting the first time Epstein allegedly forced her to have sex with one of his billionaire friends, she writes, “I need a breather. I bet you do too.”

Throughout the book, Giuffre beguiles, apologises and cheerfully breaks the fourth wall in an effort to soften the distaste she assumes her story will trigger. Make no mistake: this is a book about power, corruption, industrial-scale sex abuse and the way in which institutions sided with the perpetrator over his victims. Epstein hanged himself in prison while awaiting trial in 2019 and Ghislaine Maxwell, his co-conspirator, is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking, outcomes largely enabled by Giuffre’s testimony. But it is also a book about how a young woman becomes a hero. And yet here she is, having to charm us out of shrinking from her in horror.

Of course, these assumptions of hers aren’t wrong. Giuffre, who was 41 when she died and whose deft, smart book is co-written with the journalist Amy Wallace, knows that to be a victim of sexual violence is to be at best pitied, at worst reviled. (Sample headline from the Daily News: “Jeffrey Epstein Accuser Was Not a Sex Slave, but a Money-Hungry Sex Kitten, Her Former Friends Say.”) I approached Nobody’s Girl with two questions. First, does it give any insight into the so-called Epstein list, the catalogue of prominent men to whom Giuffre and others were trafficked? The closest we get to a fresh allegation is Giuffre’s description of one of the scores of men Epstein forced her to have sex with as a “politician” and “former minister”, who choked and beat her almost unconscious, but who, she writes, is too powerful to name. (When she told Epstein how violent the man had been, he said coldly: “You’ll get that sometimes.”)

The book breathes life into Giuffre’s legal status as a victim, showing us a girl like any we know

Second, does the book make life harder for Ghislaine Maxwell, currently in a low security prison in Texas and sucking up to President Trump to have her sentence reduced? (Her latest appeal was rejected earlier this month.) On this score, Giuffre’s account must shunt the possibility of reprieve further out of reach. It was Maxwell – or “G Max” as she insisted the girls call her – who spotted Giuffre working as a 16-year-old locker-room assistant at Mar-a-Lago in 2000, and brought her to Epstein’s house to be “interviewed” as a possible masseuse. Giuffre was forced to have sex with Epstein that day and both then and in subsequent assaults, Maxwell participated. “Maxwell began lashing out at me during our threesomes,” writes Giuffre. “If I complained, she hurt me more.”

This brings me to a third question: given its punishing nature, why read this book? I’ve heard more than one person say they “don’t have the stomach” for it – not phrasing any victim needs to hear – but while the book is relentlessly, shockingly hard, it is also a clear-eyed and necessary account of how sex offenders operate. Giuffre’s greatest fear – that being raped and trafficked puts her beyond empathetic reach of most people – is not, in fact, what happens. Narrative does what deposition can’t by taking us into the room with her. The book breathes life into Giuffre’s legal status as a victim, showing us a girl like any we know, like us, and enlivening the reality of those who are trafficked while being “free” to walk away.

Abused since the age of six, by the time she met Epstein, Giuffre writes: “I had been sexualized against my will and had survived by acquiescing. I was a pleaser, even when pleasing others cost me dearly. For 10 years, men had cloaked their abuse of me in a fake mantle of ‘love’. Epstein and Maxwell knew just how to tap into that same crooked vein.”

Giuffre’s recollections of Prince Andrew, meanwhile, a man with whom she was allegedly forced to have sex three times – once in the context of an orgy on Epstein’s island – present him in an even more buffoonish and grotesque light. “We disrobed and got in the tub, but we didn’t stay there long because the prince was eager to get to the bed … In my memory, the whole thing lasted less than half an hour.” Prince Andrew denies Giuffre’s allegations that he had sex with her, that she had been trafficked to him by Epstein or that he had ever met her. But so much focus has been put on the prince that after reading this book, it wasn’t him I thought about most; it was the casual visitors to Epstein’s New York mansion, the illustrious men and occasional woman whom Giuffre says she encountered at dinners there.

In respect of these people I’d like to ask: who the f*** did they think the 17-year-old at the table was? What did they think she was doing there? Only Melinda Gates, who met Epstein once and cited him as a factor in the breakdown of her marriage to Bill Gates, sensed what apparently none of these people could put their finger on. Giuffre quotes from a statement made by Gates after her meeting with Epstein: “I regretted it the second I walked in the door. He was abhorrent. He was evil personified.” It was an insight that evidently escaped geniuses like the MIT professors Epstein continued to advise long after he’d become a convicted sex offender.

Giuffre was rightly proud of holding Epstein and Maxwell to account. And yet for any survivor of sexual violence, the cost of recovery – let alone of confronting her abusers in front of the world – can be impossibly steep. At the beginning of the book, Amy Wallace shares details of Giuffre’s fraught final months, including multiple health problems and alleged domestic violence at the hands of Robert Giuffre, her Australian husband. (Robert Giuffre’s lawyer has declined to comment on the allegations, citing ongoing court proceedings.) On 1 April, Giuffre wrote to Wallace: “It is my heartfelt wish that this work be published, regardless of my circumstances at the time.” Three weeks later, she was found dead on her remote Australian farm, leaving behind three children. In a lawsuit Giuffre brought against Epstein in 2009, her lawyers stated the injuries she suffered as a result of his abuse included “a loss of the capacity to enjoy life”, and were of a magnitude that made them “permanent in nature”. The same might be said for this important, courageous, tragically posthumous book.

 Nobody’s Girl: Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice by Virginia Roberts Giuffre is published by Doubleday. To support the Guardian, order your copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.

 In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org

========================================================

The Perverted Lives of the Rich and Famous > British Ambassador to US recalled for ties to Jeffrey Epstein

 

Britain's U.S. envoy Peter Mandelson recalled over Jeffrey Epstein ties

By Paul Godfrey

   

British Ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson (R), who was fired Thursday, stands in the Oval Office in May as U.S. President Donald Trump unveils a landmark U.S.-U.K. trade agreement. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo

Sept. 11 (UPI) -- British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday fired U.S. Ambassador Peter Mandelson amid revelations of a close friendship with convicted U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The Foreign Office said in a statement that the 71-year-old had been dismissed after communications emerged showing the "depth and extent" of his relationship with Epstein was "materially different from that known at the time of his appointment."

"In light of that, and mindful of the victims of Epstein's crimes, he has been withdrawn as Ambassador with immediate effect."

The firing came after Conservative opposition and politicians across the political spectrum called for Mandelson to be recalled to London and replaced after a House committee released records from Epstein's estate in which Mandelson referred to Epstein as his "best pal."

There was uproar in the House of Commons on Wednesday as Starmer insisted Mandelson continued to retain his backing, was "playing an important role" in U.K.-U.S. relations and that "full due process" was undertaken before his appointment in December.

Leading a chorus of condemnation, Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch called the situation disgraceful.

"These are sickening revelations. Mandelson's position is untenable. Why did Starmer defend him? How was 'full due process followed'? This is a weak Prime Minister, leading a Government mired in scandal. The public deserves better. Peter Mandelson needs to be fired now," Badenoch wrote earlier in a post on X.

Lawmakers in Starmer's own Labour Party had also called for Mandelson to go, led by south London MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy and Richard Burgon, the MP for Leeds East, who said Mandelson "should never have been appointed.

Nadia Whittome, the representative for Nottingham East, said it was an open secret that Mandelson "remained close to Epstein even after he was convicted of sex offenses."

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davy demanded Starmer tell Parliament what "other compromising material" on Mandelson the Americans might be about to make public.

In an interview with Harry Cole, editor of the, U.S. edition of The Sun on Wednesday, Mandelson did not dispute the material, a 10-page, handwritten 50th birthday message to Epstein in 2003, released by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and warned more "very embarrassing" revelations were likely to emerge.

The newspaper said it had also seen documents showing Mandelson offered moral support to Epstein during the years he was under investigation and urged him to fight for "early release" following a plea deal in the prostitution case.

The Telegraph earlier alleged that while serving as a senior minister in Gordon Brown's Labour government, Mandelson and Epstein brokered a $1.3 billion business deal together.

The latest scandal comes just days after Starmer's number two, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, was forced to resign for failing to pay the correct amount of tax on a $1 million property purchase.

Mandelson is credited with helping forge the strong relationship Downing Street enjoys with U.S. President Donald Trump's White House and sealing an early U.K.-U.S. trade deal -- putting Starmer under pressure to resolve the situation before U.S. President Donald Trump arrives in Britain for a two-day state visit on Wednesday.

As ambassador, Mandelson would have been in London playing a key role in ensuring the visit is a success, but the controversy threatens to overshadow the event, disrupting Trump's unprecedented second state visit.

That in turn could've proved embarrassing for Starmer and King Charles, who is hosting Trump and First Lady Melania Trump at Windsor Castle.

The same committee that made public the Mandelson letter also released Monday a birthday letter to Epstein, allegedly penned by Trump, placing Starmer in a hole where finding Mandelson unfit for office and firing him potentially shifts the spotlight onto Trump instead.

The White House on Wednesday categorically denied that Trump either wrote or signed the letter. Trump's external legal team is suing the Wall Street Journal, which originally reported the existence of the letter in July.

The Perverted Lives of the Rich and Famous > Virginia Giuffre's story just keeps getting worse, but believable

 

Virginia Giuffre Alleges Husband Has Physically Abused Her For Years: 

'I Can No Longer Stay Silent'

Giuffre, a victim of accused sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was involved in a recent car accident that her brother says 'saved her life'

• Virginia Giuffre, 41, is speaking out for the first time about alleged domestic abuse she says she suffered at the hands of her husband, Robert Giuffre
• She recently posted a picture of her bruised face on Instagram saying she had been in a road accident and was told she had four days to live
• Her husband filed a family restraining order against her in February that she has allegedly violated
• 
  

As controversy swirls about a cryptic Instagram message Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre recently posted about her deteriorating health following a car crash in Australia, she is now coming forward with allegations of abuse against her husband of 22 years, Robert Giuffre.

Virginia, 41, previously spoke out as a victim of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in his prison cell at age 66 in 2019, and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, 63, who is currently serving a prison sentence for child sex trafficking in connection with Epstein. Virginia says she has been hesitant to speak publicly about the alleged abuse involving her husband until now.

In an exclusive statement to PEOPLE, Virginia said, "I was able to fight back against Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein who, abused and trafficked me. But I was unable to escape the domestic violence in my marriage until recently. After my husband's latest physical assault, I can no longer stay silent."

Virginia Giuffre in a picture she posted on Instagram on March 30. 

Virginia Roberts/Instagram

She ended the statement by saying, "Again, I thank everyone for their support. I have faith that justice will prevail."

Her statement comes less than a week after Virginia said on Instagram on Sunday, March 30, that she was in the hospital and near death after the car in which she was riding on March 24 was struck by a school bus going more than 49 mph.

“I’ve gone into kidney renal failure," she wrote next to a photo of her lying in a hospital bed, her face covered in bruises. "They’ve given me four days to live, transferring me to a specialist hospital in urology.”

They probably told her that she could die in as little as 4 days without urology treatment.

A spokesperson for Virginia confirms that Virginia reported a Jan. 9, 2025, assault in Dunsborough, Western Australia, to police, who did not charge Robert for any crime. PEOPLE has been unable to obtain the incident report. Robert did not respond to PEOPLE's multiple calls and texts for comment.

His attorney told PEOPLE in an email, "Unfortunately, as the issues you raise are before the Courts in Australia both he and anyone associated with the case including Ms Giuffe or her agents are prohibited from discussing or utilising the media. Therefore, there is no comment."

Speaking exclusively with PEOPLE, Virginia's brother, Sky Roberts, and his wife Amanda, both 36, say Virginia — who lives in Australia — is making the allegations because of the severity of her injuries.

"I think the last incident that they had, she almost died," Amanda says about the alleged Jan. 9 beating. "And we had to speak that truth with her on the phone. And I think she had acknowledged that if she had one more instance with him, she wasn't making it out of there."

Sky and Amanda Roberts. 

Courtesy of Sky and Amanda Roberts

Sky and Amanda note that they don't know whether Virginia's medical issues were caused by the crash or complications from a recent beating she allegedly suffered at the hands of her husband, or a combination of the two.

Jeffrey Epstein and Prince Andrew Accuser Virginia Giuffre Says She Has '4 Days to Live' After Car Crash

"Let's be clear, she never stated in the bus accident the cause of all her other injuries," says Sky. "But I do think that the bus crash in some way, shape, or form saved her life. It could have been a blessing in disguise."

Adding that he doesn't know specifically "what happened internally to her," Sky, an auto claims adjuster, says Virginia's bruising "is consistent [with a car crash]."

Virginia Giuffre Allegedly Broke Family Violence Restraining Order Weeks Before Claiming She Has Days to Live

"Nobody ever said her liver issues and kidney failure were ever from that. We still don't know if it is, I'm not a medical professional. That's up to her doctor to determine," he says.

Speaking about the damage to Virginia's organs, Sky said, "I think that's from years of alleged abuse. You got to think, she's been allegedly being abused for over 10 years. Anyone's body is going to take a toll over a course of time."

I am very grateful that Sky and Amanda are supporting Virginia in these most difficult times. Support is extremely important to survivors.

Police Detail 'Minor Crash' with 'No Reported Injuries' in Crash Reportedly Involving Jeffrey Epstein's Accuser, Virginia Giuffre

Alleged Troubled Marriage

Virginia had been having marital issues for a while and in August 2023 or so, separated from Robert, the father of her three children, ages 19, 16 and 15, Sky and Amanda say.

During a trip to celebrate one of the children's birthdays in January, Robert allegedly beat Virginia so severely she was left with a cracked sternum and perforated eye, among other injuries, they say. She was transported to the hospital for her injuries, her spokeswoman says.

To the family's shock, they say, Robert quickly filed a family violence restraining order against her, alleging that she had become violent with him, they say.

"He just put his in place first," Sky alleges. "Now she's on the defense."

She was accused of breaching the restraining order by texting Robert on Feb. 2 in Perth, 7 News was the first to report.

Seriously? It must have been a really violent text!

Addressing critics who say Virginia is coming forward with this now because she wants to avoid going to Joondalup Magistrates Court on April 9 to address the alleged restraining order violation, Sky says that is dangerous thinking.

"Is it going to take her to die for people to believe her? Or can you just simply be a human and look at the facts and understand this is somebody that legitimately got into an accident, legitimately had underlying issues."

Virginia Roberts Giuffre, with a photo of herself as a teen. 

Emily Michot/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty

Controversial Post

After her last Instagram post, Virginia has been accused of exaggerating and even lying about the accident and her health.

On Tuesday, April 1, her family clarified in a statement obtained by PEOPLE that Virginia thought she had posted the message on a private social media page and not on Instagram.

Not only was she likely on pain medication in the hospital when she sent the message, says Sky, but she was feeling "despondent and depressed" over not being able to be with her children—ages 19, 16 and 15—who are "the most important thing in her life."

Virginia Giuffre's Family Shares Update After Epstein Accuser's Instagram Post: 'Condition Worsened' After Crash

He clarifies that his sister was told by one doctor that if she did not continue to receive care, she would only have four days to live. He says she remains in the hospital where she is continuing to receive treatment.

"She is marginally better but still in serious condition," her spokeswoman tells PEOPLE.

The first time I saw that photo of Virginia's bruised face, it struck me as resembling a beating - a typical spousal abuse attack. 

She admitted that she didn't want to come out with the story of her husband's alleged abuse, and it reminded me of children who have been sexually abused. They will rarely come out and tell people without being asked directly, but they will say things that contain hints about the abuse and hope that someone is paying enough attention to figure it out. Was this the way Virginia asked for help?

Virginia Giuffre in an undated photo with Prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell. 

HANDOUT/US District Court - Southern Dis/AFP via Getty

Virginia became a public figure when she accused Epstein, the late billionaire and convicted sex offender, and his ex-girlfriend, Maxwell of trafficking her to rich and powerful men, including Prince Andrew, when she was a teenager.

Prince Andrew has denied the allegations. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year sentence after being convicted of child sex trafficking in 2021.

Jeffrey Epstein's Accusers Speak Out About Abuse and Hope to Inspire Others

In 2021, Virginia sued Prince Andrew in New York. The two reached an out-of-court settlement in February 2022 of an undisclosed amount. Believed to be around $12mn.