JEFFREY Epstein pal Jean-Luc Brunel’s death was not caught on camera and he was in a single occupancy cell at the time, sources said. Brunel died in circumstances eerily similar to his paedo friend Epstein as he also hung himself in prison while awaiting trial for sex crimes. He was being held at La Santé […]
JEFFREY Epstein pal Jean-Luc Brunel’s death was not caught on camera and he was in a single occupancy cell at the time, sources said.
Brunel died in circumstances eerily similar to his paedo friend Epstein as he also hung himself in prison while awaiting trial for sex crimes.
He was being held at La Santé in Paris – one of the toughest jails in France – when he is reported to have taken his own life last night.
While CCTV is commonplace in the corridors and gateways of French prisons, the vast majority of cells are not under video surveillance.
This is ensure a degree of privacy, and to make sure that European human rights legislation is not violated.
Inmates are sometimes known to record events using devices including mobile phones, but Brunel, 76, is thought to have been in a single occupancy cell, said the source.
“There is an investigation going on to confirm all this, but at the moment it looks like he killed himself alone, and it was a routine patrol that found his body hanging,” he said.
The source added: “There were no obvious fears for the prisoner’s health, and he was not on a suicide watch, having already been in prison for many months.”
The official enquiry into Brunel’s sudden death was on Saturday being carried out by offices from the Third Judicial Police district in Paris.
Brunel’s vile pal Epstein committed suicide in his New York jail in August 2019 – and also was not captured on CCTV.
Two cameras in front of his cell malfunctioned that night, and a third camera captured footage that was deemed “unusable”.
It has only fuelled the questions and spiralling conspiracy theories around Epstein’s death – with the multimillionaire known to have rubbed shoulders with the rich and powerful.
However, the New York City medical examiner is satisfied that Epstein died by suicide.
Brunel’s body is set to be subject to an autopsy to find his exact cause of death.
Forensic officers were meanwhile examining the cell where Brunel died in La Santé, which was built in the 19th Century and has housed some of the most dangerous prisoners in the history of France.
There is a so-called ‘VIP section’ where inmates include ‘super terrorist’ and mass killer Carlos the Jackal, whose real name is Ilich Ramírez Sánchez.
Brunel had been indicted and remanded in custody in December 2020 following accusations of rape and sexual assault of minors – including three 12-year-old sisters.
He was also being probed over human trafficking and being part of a criminal conspiracy amid his association with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
Described previously as the paedo multimillionaire’s “best mate” & “pimp”, he is believed to have been a key member of Epstein’s inner circle.
Brunel will likely take many of the secrets about Epstein and his horrific trafficking ring to the grave.
It is reported that he was found dead at around 1am during a night check by prison guards.
The French fashion agent was detained at Charles de Gaulle airport as he was about to take a plane to Senegal.
Brunel was reportedly was interviewed after his arrest about his alleged connections with a range of figures
And that reportedly includes Epstein, and mates of the late pervert financier, including Maxwell and Andrew.
Brunel denied involvement “directly or indirectly” in any of Epstein’s offences in a statement issued in 2015.
It said: “I strongly deny having committed any illicit act or any wrongdoing in the course of my work.”
Epstein victim Virginia – who settled a sex case this week out of court with the Duke of York – has claimed Brunel “farmed out” modelling hopefuls to the paedo, as well as other men, for sex.
She has also claimed she was forced to have sex with Brunel at Epstein’s home.
And she alleged that he once set up a photoshoot with seven Russian girls which Prince Andrew watched.
In 2020, Virginia also went on the attack on Duke over the arrest of Brunel.
“Are you sweating yet, Prince Andrew? You should be. Your buddy Jean-Luc Brunel is behind bars. Remember those girls he supplied to you on the island?,” she said.
“Well, you might want to start thinking of new allergies cuz you’re about to burn. This piggy will roll over on EVERYONE to save his own bacon.
“Those who participated in this sex trafficking ring should be worried.”
Andrew has always denied any allegations of improper behaviour over his relationship with Epstein and Maxwell.
In court documents released in August 2019, Giuffre claimed Brunel was one of the men Maxwell had directed her to have sex with while still a teenager.
She claimed in a 2015 affidavit that Epstein bragged he had “slept with over 1,000 of Brunel’s girls.”
Brunel was introduced to Jeffrey Epstein through his pal Ghislaine Maxwell, whom he had known since the 1980s.
Pictures show him cavorting with Maxwell and hanging out with Epstein as the trio are believed to have been close.
And one photo of him was shown at Maxwell’s trial, showing him seated beside the paedo as the Brit rubbed his feet.
He is alleged to have flown three sisters, 12, from a Paris housing estate to America so they could be abused by Epstein as “a birthday present”.
The fashion boss is known to have taken on at least 25 trips on Epstein’s private plane.
He was a regular visitor to the jail where the paedo was held in 2008, visiting at least 70 times.
An avid user of cocaine, Brunel once famously defended his drug problem – saying it was fine because he didn’t us during the day, only at night.
Many of Brunel’s alleged crimes are claimed to have taken place in a Paris apartment owned by Epstein.
In 2019, French cops raided the offices of Karin Models, an agency founded by Brunel.
Epstein gave Brunel “up to a million dollars” in 2004 to help launch his new modelling agency, MC2 Model Management.
They also searched Epstein‘s luxury Paris home not far from the Arc de Triomphe.
Brunel started his career as a model scout, and has worked with celebrities including Jerry Hall, Sharon Stone, and Monica Bellucci.
Corinne Dreyfus-Schmidt, Mr Brunel’s lawyer, has insisted her client is innocent of any wrongdoing.
Evidence against Brunel came from a number of former models, who had waived their anonymity to make their allegations public.
New Zealander Zoe Brock has claimed in statements made to French investigators that she was abused in his Paris home in the early 1990s.
A Dutch model, Thysia Huisman, who was 18 when she first stayed with Brunel, said she was raped by him in 1991.
She is now one of at least four alleged victims represented by Anne-Claire Le Jeune, a Paris barrister, who said Brunel being in custody was a huge relief, because their complaints now ‘take on meaning,’ she said.
The Sun shared exclusive pics of Ghislaine Maxwell cavorting with the suspected rapist — in a snapshot of lurid lie on the paedophile Epstein’s Caribbean isle.
The previously unseen photos show her playfully wrestling with model agency boss Brunel, who was said in August to be in hiding after being accused of sex attacks on young women dating back decades.
