Western Australia Police will review the actions of officers who handled the case of Virginia Giuffre, an accuser of Jeffrey Epstein, who died by suicide in 2025. The announcement follows calls from Giuffre's brothers for a public inquest into her death and a review of police conduct, which they believe may have failed to protect her.
Giuffre, 41, died at her farm in Western Australia. She had publicly alleged that she was forced to have sex on three occasions with Prince Andrew, the former Duke of York, claims he has consistently denied. Her brothers also suggested she may have been a victim of domestic violence in the period leading up to her death.
WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch confirmed the impending review on Wednesday during a WA parliament hearing, stating, "I'd love to give assurance on every single one, but I can't - but that one will be subject to a review." He noted that the state's coroner and ombudsman could initiate separate investigations into the matter.
In June, a group of 16 researchers and practitioners from Australian universities and domestic violence organizations penned a letter to WA Coroner Ros Fogliani. They asserted that Giuffre spent a significant part of her adult life seeking accountability for the abuse she endured, exposing a network of exploitation at considerable personal risk to protect other women. The letter argued it would be a "profound injustice" if the systems that may have failed her in her final months were not examined with equal rigor. The signatories highlighted that Giuffre's death, while tragic, was notable for its public visibility, leaving a detailed record of her final months consistent with patterns observed in overlooked deaths related to domestic violence, coercive control, and potential systemic failures.
Alison Evans, Chief Executive Officer at the Centre for Women's Safety and Wellbeing and one of the letter's signatories, commented that some victim-survivors report feeling dismissed, blamed, or misdirected into mental health services instead of having their experiences of violence recognized by health, policing, and legal systems. She emphasized that a victim-survivor's distress and suicidal thoughts should not solely be treated as individual disorders.
Giuffre had previously settled a sexual assault lawsuit against the former Duke of York. She was also a prominent figure in the investigations surrounding Jeffrey Epstein, who died by suicide in his New York jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Epstein's former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, was convicted in late 2021 on charges including sex trafficking.