Virginia Giuffre: US attorney Sigrid McCawley recounts heartbreaking ‘disbelief’ over loss of former client

Virginia Giuffre’s lawyer has broken down in tears recounting her “disbelief” at the news her former client had taken her own life, saying “the world will not be the same without her”. Ms Giuffre died at her farm home in Neergabby, about 80km north of Perth, on April 25, with a statement released by her family saying she died by suicide. The 41-year-old was a prominent survivor of billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and alleged that she was sex trafficked to Prince Andrew three times as a teenager. Speaking on 60 Minutes on Sunday, US attorney Sigrid McCawley — who represented Ms Giuffre — she said was in “true disbelief” when she heard the news. “(My reaction was) overwhelming surprised and disbelief — true disbelief,” she said. “It took me several hours to even come to terms with the fact that that was real.” Ms Giuffre’s family issued a statement on April 26, saying she would be “missed beyond measure”. “She lost her life to suicide, after being a lifelong victim of sexual abuse and sex trafficking,” the statement reads. “Virginia was a fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking. “She was the light that lifted so many survivors. Despite all the adversity she faced in her life, she shone so bright.” Her death came just weeks after she took to Instagram claiming she had just “four days to live” and was suffering “kidney renal failure” after a crash with a school bus near her home. Police later dismissed the crash as a minor incident. Ms McCawley said she was worried about her former client’s physical health following the crash, but said she did not believe she would take her own life. “I was concerned about her physical health,” she said. “She was still very uplifted and we were focused on getting her care in the United States. “I did not fear (Virginia would take her own life), that’s why I think the disbelief has been so strong, I just keep thinking I’m going to see her again.” Ms Giuffre filed a civil lawsuit against Prince Andrew in 2021, alleging that he sexually assaulted her when she was 17. Prince Andrew agreed to an out-of-court settlement but has repeatedly denied the allegations. A photograph of Ms Giuffre as a teenager standing with Andrew and Epstein’s fixer, convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell, has been central to a host of court proceedings. Ms McCawley described Ms Giuffre as “just remarkable” and said she had created a precedent which held powerful people to account. “I think Virginia’s legacy is something that we haven’t seen before in our history,” she said. “She has left us with a feeling that irrespective of whether you’re a president, a politician, a billionaire, or a Prince, you can be held accountable, you’re not above the law. “She put Epstein in prison, she put Maxwell in prison, she had Prince Andrew stripped of his titles, it is truly tremendous. “Her words (and) her actions were incredible and they started a movement of change.” Ms McCawley broke down in tears and said “the world will not be the same without her”. “I used to say we had broken through the lawyer-client line, because she would sign her emails, ‘I love you Siggy,” she said. “She was just a dear person in my life . . . the world will not be the same without her.” Just last week, a Perth Magistrate discontinued a charge alleging Virginia Giuffre had breached a family violence restraining order by sending her estranged husband, Robert Giuffre, several text messages. She did not enter a plea to the charge before her death. Lifeline 13 11 14