A civil lawsuit has been filed against Prince Andrew for alleged sexual abuse of Virginia Giuffre, a United States-based woman, who claims that she was trafficked to the United Kingdom by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein when she was only 17 years of age.
In the case filed under the New York's Child Victims Act, Giuffre has said that she was sexually assaulted by the Duke of York in London and New York, BBC reported.
As per Giuffre's allegation, who was known as Virginia Roberts at the time, the Duke sexually assaulted her at the London home of Epstein's associate Ghislaine Maxwell, and Epstein's homes in Manhattan and Little St James situated in Virgin Islands, US, BBC reported.
Owing to the "extreme and outrageous" conduct, the case document states that the now 38-year-old Giuffre is undergoing "significant emotional and psychological distress and harm."
The spokesperson for Prince Andrew, who had categorically denied claims of sexual misconduct in 2019, has said that the Duke has offered no comments on the case yet.
"Twenty years ago Prince Andrew's wealth, power, position, and connections enabled him to abuse a frightened, vulnerable child with no one there to protect her. It is long past the time for him to be held to account," the lawsuit stated, BBC quoted.
(With inputs from BBC)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)