Warning: This article contains discussion of rape which some readers may find distressing.
A survivor of Jeffrey Epstein has recalled the harrowing ordeal she faced at the hands of the late convicted sex offender.
Juliette Bryant broke down in tears as she opened up about being recruited by women working for the disgraced financier, with the promise of helping her launch her modelling career.
Juliette told Sky News she 'just freaked out and I suddenly realised these people might kill me'.
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"I suddenly realised I had to be nice and friendly as I realised I was in great danger," she said.
She first encountered Epstein in Cape Town in 2002 when he was touring South Africa alongside Bill Clinton, and within three weeks she was flown to New York.
Bryant, a first year university student at the time, said she had thought that her 'dreams were all coming true' as she hoped to make it as a model in the city.
Yet moments after landing in New York, she was taken to Teterboro Aiport in New Jersey and informed that she would be travelling to the Caribbean and Epstein's private island.
After boarding the Boeing 727-100, the then-20-year-old aspiring model was attacked, with the women laughing and watching on.
Bryant claimed Epstein started 'forcibly touching me in between my legs' just seconds after his 'Lolita Express' took off.
"He patted the chair next to him, and then I went and sat there. It was such a confusing situation for a young person to be in. I was really petrified," she said.
Trapped on the island with no passport, Bryant was repeatedly raped by Epstein for the next two years.
A disposable camera she found on the island allowed her to take photographs of all the places she was abused, which include Epstein's New Mexico ranch.
The sex offender offered Bryant $2,000 (£1.4k) to recruit girls for him and another $4,000 (£2.9k) to stay with him, though she refused as she did not 'want to be around him'.
Unredacted emails sent from Bryant to Epstein were included in the latest documents released by the US Department of Justice, dubbed the Epstein Files.
The emails show she remained in contact with him until 2017 and Bryant explained that she would send Epstein emails when she was intoxicated or in the midst of a breakdown.
"Invisible chains is a good way to put it, it was like I was handcuffed invisibly," Bryant said, adding that she had felt like 'he was watching me' which also led to her emailing him.
Epstein died by suicide at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York while awaiting trial for sex trafficking and conspiracy charges in August 2019.
Topics: Jeffrey Epstein, Crime, US News
Danni King