The brother of Ghislaine Maxwell is fearing for her safety following the death of former Jeffrey Epstein associate Jean-Luc Brunel, who was found hanged in his Paris jail cell on Saturday.
Le Monde reports that the Paris prosecutor's office confirmed the 76-year-old was found dead in his cell in the early hours of the morning on 19 February.
Brunel had been implicated in Epstein's crimes and indicted for the rape of a number of children, which he denied.
An investigation into the cause of death has now been opened as Brunel was arrested back in 2020 as he prepared to take a flight from Charles de Gaulle airport to Senegal.
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He was later charged with the rape of minors over the age of 15.
According to Paris Prosecutor Remy Heitz, at the time, Brunel was suspected of 'having committed acts of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment on various minor or major victims and of having in particular organized the transport and accommodation of young girls or young women on behalf of Jeffrey Epstein'.
"It's really shocking," Ian Maxwell, the brother of Epstein's disgraced ex-girlfriend, told the New York Post.
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"Another death by hanging in a high-security prison. My reaction is one of total shock and bewilderment."
Maxwell fears that, similarly to Epstein's high profile death by an apparent suicide, his sister might be in danger.
He added: "Despite the psychiatrist advising to the contrary, she was deemed a suicide risk and they are continuing to wake her up every 15 minutes in the night. It's a complete violation of prisoner rights and human rights."
In December last year, Epstein's former partner was found guilty of five sex trafficking charges.
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The jury convicted her of conspiracy to entice and transport individuals under 17 with the intent to engage in illegal sexual activity, as well as sex trafficking of individuals under the age of 17 and 18.
However, her team have requested a retrial after concerns were expressed when one juror, Scotty David, later revealed he was the victim of child sex abuse.
Also, just last week, it was revealed that Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre had reached a 'settlement in principle', reportedly worth £12 million, in the civil sex claim filed in the US.
The royal was accused by Giuffre of forcing her to have sex at a property belonging to Maxwell when she was 17 years old.
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Last month, Prince Andrew demanded a trial by jury as he seeks to defend a civil sex case brought by Giuffre, according to court documents filed in New York.
However, the situation changed and 'a settlement in principle' was undertaken.
Featured Image Credit: Alamy/BFMTVTopics: Jeffrey Epstein