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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
National
Rebecca Speare-Cole

Lady Victoria Hervey claims victims of Jeffrey Epstein were 'living the high life'

Lady Victoria Hervey has insisted that "sex trafficking" is not the right term to describe the crimes of convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein because the victims were "living the high life".

Speaking on Good Morning Britain, the model and socialite spoke about her friendship with Ghislaine Maxwell, who was accused of procuring victims for the disgraced financier, who died in his prison cell in August awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

Lady Victoria also told hosts Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid that she left Epstein's New York City apartment early because there were "hidden cameras".

When asked what she felt when learning about the underage abuse by Epstein, Lady Victoria said she was "completely shocked."

Jeffrey Epstein was convicted of sex offences after taking his own life in a New York prison (AP)

"I really had no idea," she said. "The more I was reading about it, the more I was actually like, wow, I was actually in one of these apartments and I saw all of it but I didn’t see it."

She then went on to add: "I think, to be honest, the word sex trafficking that’s a very strong word and I don’t think that’s the correct word to use for this."

"When you think of sex trafficking, you think of a 12-year-old that’s kidnapped that’s chained in a cage.

"This is not the same thing. These girls were living the high life."

Lady Victoria Hervey said 'sex trafficking' was too strong to describe Epstein's crimes (Dave Benett)

Both hosts hit back at the suggestion, with Morgan saying: "They are being trafficked these girls. It’s literally been described as a railway station. In and out all the time. Many of them underage."

Lady Victoria later added: "It’s extraordinary that this is the case. It’s a wild story."

During the interview, she revealed how she had once stayed in one of Epstein’s properties in New York, but she said she left early because of "hidden cameras".

"I did feel very uncomfortable staying there," she confessed. "I cut my trip short. I felt like I was being watched. There were hidden cameras. I left after 10 days."

She also claimed that there was "no way" Prince Andrew would have gone on TV and done "an interview like that" if he was guilty.

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