Ghislaine Maxwell was given 'platform to rewrite history', say Virginia Giuffre's family

The family of Virginia Giuffre, who was one of Jeffrey Epstein's most prominent sex trafficking accusers, have said they are "outraged" over the US Department of Justice's release of an interview with Ghislaine Maxwell.

Maxwell - a convicted sex trafficker and ex-girlfriend of the deceased paedophile financier Epstein - refuted several claims of child sex trafficking and abuse during the two-day-long interview with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in July. Reacting after the transcripts of the interview were released on Friday, Ms Giuffre's family said it gave Maxwell the "platform to rewrite history" and showed she was "never challenged about her court-proven lies".

"As the family of one of the most prominent survivors, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, we are outraged," they said in a statement. "The content of these transcripts is in direct contradiction with felon Ghislaine Maxwell's conviction for child sex trafficking." Ms Giuffre's family added: "This travesty of justice entirely invalidates the experiences of the many brave survivors who put their safety, security, and lives on the line to ensure her conviction, including our sister." Referencing Maxwell's move to a minimum-security facility in Texas earlier this month, they said it "sends a disturbing message that child sex trafficking is acceptable and will be rewarded".

"We continue to call upon the DOJ (Department of Justice) to do its job by investigating and holding accountable the many rich and powerful people who enabled Ghislaine Maxwell's and Jeffrey Epstein's crimes," they concluded. Ms Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, had previously claimed that Maxwell introduced her to Epstein and hired her as his masseuse, before she was sex trafficked and sexually abused by him and associates around the world.

She sued Prince Andrew for sexual abuse in August 2021 - saying he had sex with her when she was 17 and had been trafficked by Epstein. The duke has repeatedly denied the claims, and he has not been charged with any criminal offences.

In March 2022, it was announced Ms Giuffre and Andrew had reached an out-of-court settlement - believed to include a "substantial donation to Ms Giuffre's charity in support of victims' rights". During her interview with Mr Blanche last month, Maxwell said Ms Giuffre's allegation against the duke "doesn't hold water.