The defense of Prince Andrew has asked the judge who directs the case against him for alleged sexual abuse of a minor in New York.
The defense of prince andrew has asked the judge directing the case against him for alleged sexual abuse of a minor in New York permission to question the psychologist and the husband of her accuser, Virginia Giuffre, according to documents delivered to the court last Friday.
In the documents, accessed by Efe, the lawyers for the son of Queen Elizabeth II of England explain that they are seeking the testimony of the psychologist, Judith Lightfoot, because Andrés believes that Giuffre “may be suffering from false memories” and his allegations “have changed repeatedly over the years.
Giuffre has consistently maintained that she was sex trafficked as a teenager, around 2001, by financier Jeffrey Epstein and his ex-partner Ghislaine Maxwell – recently convicted of such crimes – for sex with the prince, who has denied the accusations.
The defense seeks the testimonies to verify “the veracity” of allegations such as that he was “under threat of death” by Epstein and Maxwell and that he suffers “serious emotional and psychological damage”, in addition to finding out the “causal link” between those damages and Andrés’ conduct, according to the letter.
Their goals include “examining” Lightfoot about Giuffre’s diagnosis, the issues discussed in their sessions, or the medications he prescribed; inspect his notes on the patient and learn his “opinions” on what the complainant alleges and “the theory of false memories”.
From her husband, Robert, they want to know “the circumstances” in which they met in 2002, the financial accounts of their household, the involvement in the NGOs that his wife leads and the details that she has shared with him about her “child trauma and abuse “, his relationship with Epstein and Maxwell or the allegations about Andrés.
The prince’s lawyers asked the magistrate Lewis Kaplan to approve a letter of request to the Australian Justice so that they “assist in obtaining an oral examination under oath” of the two potential witnesses, residing in Australia, electronically or in person before the end of April.
Giuffre’s lawyers, meanwhile, have requested the same to question two British residents: Robert Olney, an assistant to Andrew who appears in Epstein’s phone book, and Shukri Walker, a woman who claims to have seen the prince with a “young girl” at the London nightclub and the dates the complainant alleges she was abused by him.
Giuffre denounced in August 2021 Prince Andrew, whose defense has repeatedly tried without success to have the trial annulled. The case is in a phase of collecting evidence that will last until mid-July and the trial before a jury is expected to begin between September and December of this year. (I)
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