As the mystery around Virginia Giuffre’s shock car crash ordeal continues, the Mirror takes a look at the timeline of events so far, including conflicting accounts and blistering attacks from Prince Andrew supporters
Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking victim Virginia Giuffre shocked the world when she claimed doctors had given her just four days to live, but her worrying announcement quickly became a puzzling riddle.
The 41-year-old, who settled a sexual assault lawsuit against the Duke of York after being sex trafficked by peadophile Epstein, took to Instagram this week from her hospital bed, where she could be seen with nasty facial bruises and a black eye. In the post, Virginia claimed that she’d been left with kidney failure following a devastating collision with a school bus near Perth, Western Australia, with doctors allegedly giving her the worst possible news.
In a statement, the mum-of-three wrote: “They’ve given me four days to live, transferring me to a specialist hospital in urology. I’m ready to go, just not until I see my babies one last time, but you know what they say about wishes. S**t in one hand and wish in the other & I guarantee it’s still going to be s**t at the end of the day.” Meanwhile, Brad Edwards, who represented Virginia in her high-profile legal cases, stated that it was a “very bad situation”, adding that they were “hoping for better news in the coming days.”
But questions were quickly raised in the aftermath of the horrible-sounding crash, as statements from the police give a whole different account of the accident. Then, sources close to Virgina labelled the statement as a “mistake”. Since then, it has emerged that Virginia is facing court over allegedly breaching a restraining order – as she recovers in hospital. Here The Mirror unpicks how the sex trafficking victim’s health nightmare unfolded, and the questions that remain unanswered.
READ MORE: Virginia Giuffre: Prince Andrew sex accuser facing court as she was charged by cops before crash
Father’s sad fears
Virginia’s health update sparked a wave of online sympathy, and her father Sky Roberts revealed he was desperate to be at his daughter’s side during the ordeal. He said: “Virginia, my daughter, I love you and praying you get the correct treatment to live a long and healthy life.”
Sky said that he felt “sick to [his] stomach” over the crash, saying that he would do anything to be able to fly from his Florida home to be by her bedside. In an interview with the Daily Mail, he also touched upon Virginia’s alleged split from her husband, Robert Giuffre, after 22 years of marriage. Virginia met and fell in love with Australian martial arts trainer Robert when she was just 19, while training at a massage school in Thailand.
Epstein had instructed her to bring a Thai girl back to the US with her, but instead, Virginia married Robert just 10 days after their first meeting, and made a new life for herself in Australia. She has previously credited Robert for rescuing her from her nightmare ordeal, making the following social media statement on their 21st wedding anniversary: “21 years ago, this amazing man rescued me from Epstein & Maxwell’s clutches. I thank God every day for putting this beautiful man in my life. I love you, Robbie G.!”
Virginia and Robert share two sons, who are said to be in their mid to late teenage years, and a teenage daughter. It’s now been claimed that Virginia is currently unable to see their children, which is adding to her anguish. Shedding light on how the situation has affected Virginia, Sky shared: “She’s in really bad shape. She’s very depressed… there’s everything else she’s been going through with the divorce and not being able to see her kids.”
Police statement
Following Virginia’s shock announcement, The Western Australia Police Force (WAPF) shared that it had received a report of “a minor crash” between a bus and a car north of Perth on March 24, clarifying that there had been no reports of any serious injuries.
A WAPF spokesperson told The Mirror: “The Western Australia Police Force received a report of a minor crash which occurred between a bus and a car in Neergabby on 24 March just after 3 pm. The collision was reported by the bus driver the following day. The car sustained approximately $2000 (£967) worth of damage. There were no reported injuries as a result of the crash.”
Meanwhile, John WA ambulance services have also reported that there are no records of any emergency response resulting in hospitalisation. WA Police confirmed that a 71-year-old woman had been driving the car at the time of the incident, while a 41-year-old woman had been seated in the passenger seat. According to 9News Perth, the 71-year-old driver is Virginia’s ‘carer’.
When asked as to whether Virginia was involved in the incident, Commissioner Whitely declined to confirm, saying: “We have no report of any serious injuries. But that is all that we have in relation to that matter.”
Friends’ relief
Medical officials who treated Virginia have since clarified that, although she had indeed sustained injuries in the accident, she is thankfully not in a critical condition and is expected to survive. This update has naturally come as an enormous relief to friends, a number of whom feared she was on her deathbed after seeing the shock post. “She’s going to be okay, and that’s all that matters,” a friend said. “Obviously, she’s been through a lot, and any accident like this is a shock. But the reports that she was on the brink of death were, thankfully, not accurate.”
Prince Andrew’s ex’s scathing attack
Although many have come forward to express concern for Virginia, Prince Andrew’s ex-girlfriend Lady Victoria Hervey has responded with a blistering attack, accusing the campaigner of “conveniently dying to evade jail”.
In a brutal Instagram post, Lady Victoria, who embarked on a brief romance with the Duke in 1999, retorted: “If Virginia Giuffre really does have days to live, then a complete confession is needed. I don’t believe it though, the FBI are on her right now and arrest warrants are coming. She’s conveniently dying to evade jail.
“I think it’s time that Robert Giuffre, who has custody of their teenage children, speaks.” The socialite also reshared Virginia’s post with the caption “Karma.”
Virginia was sex trafficked by billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, with his associate Ghislaine Maxwell recruiting her when she was a 16-year-old locker room attendant working at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. She claims she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew on at least three occasions when she was 17, including while at Maxwell’s infamous London townhouse.
Prince Andrew has always vehemently denied the allegations. In 2022, the Duke reached an out-of-court settlement in New York with Virginia, worth a reported £ 12 million, after she sued for sexual abuse. This agreement did not admit liability. However, Prince Andrew did agree to pay an unspecified sum to Virginia and her survivors’ rights charity, Speak Out, Act, Reclaim (SOAR).
Court appearance bombshell
It has since been reported that, just ten days before the crash, Virginia appeared in court after having breached a family violence restraining order in Ocean Reef, near Perth, on February 2. Western Australia (WA) Courts have stated that her case is due in court on April 9, following an initial hearing in Joondalup Magistrates’ Court on March 14. She did not enter a plea at the hearing.
Instagram ‘mistake’
According to reports, Virginia’s spokesperson has now said the original Instagram post was a mistake and that she had intended to share the post to her private Facebook page. Their statement read: “Virginia thanks everyone for the outpouring of love and support. She is overwhelmed with gratitude. Today she remains in (a) serious condition while receiving medical care. On March 24, in rural Western Australia, a school bus hit the car in which she was riding.”
It continued: “Virginia was banged up and bruised and returned home. Virginia’s condition worsened, and she was admitted to the hospital. Concerning her Instagram post, Virginia thought that she had posted on her private Facebook page.”
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READ MORE: Virginia Giuffre: Prince Andrew sex accuser hits back at police in bombshell new statement
