Hidden secrets: Epstein court files leave questions unanswered

Documents released bya judge are littered withnames but mysteries remain over the disgraced financier

- Edward Helmore

It has long been known that the disgraced sex offender Jeffrey Epstein operated at the centre of a globe-spanning network of the rich, famous and powerful but the documents released last Wednesday were nonetheless shocking in revealing the sheer magnitude of his elite circle.

Through the prism of a defamation lawsuit involving allegations against the Wall Street "estate planner" Epstein and British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, the scale of their social network came into harsh focus.

The 900 pages of documents released by the US judge Loretta Preska have been sought since 2016.

They may be only the first to flesh out the extraordinary web Epstein and Maxwell spun as they hosted party after party at homes across the globe and as they created a horrifying sex-trafficking network that preyed on teen girls.