SERIES EXAMINES HOW JUSTICE SYSTEM IS FAILING WOMEN SUFFERING DOMESTIC ABUSE

Virginia Giuffre is known for taking on the world’s most famous paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, and the former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

Lesser known was the battle she fought behind closed doors, including what happened in the months leading up to her death in Perth, Western Australia. This is at the centre of a gripping new podcast from The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and WAToday.     

The four-part investigative series, titled Virginia, by Good Weekend senior writer and Walkley Award winner Melissa Fyfe and WAToday journalist Carla Hildebrandt, launches tomorrow, Saturday, July 11, with weekly episodes available on all major podcast platforms. 

With access to Virginia’s diaries, court documents, personal texts to her friends and family and exclusive interviews with those with her until the end, the series pieces together what happened in those last months before she took her life in April 2025.

Virginia examines the violence both she and her husband reported against each other, the interim restraining order filed against her, the removal of her children by a magistrate, and the system she turned to for protection that ultimately let her down. 

Journalist Carla Hildebrandt said:

”The series raises questions about how police and the courts treat domestic violence victims and how far we have to go. It explores the systemic failures that preceded her death and asks what must change to prevent similar tragedies.”

Journalist Melissa Fyfe said:

“What began as a look into the battle for Virginia’s estate soon turned into a much bigger story – if this could happen to Virginia who had a high profile and financial means, could it happen to women across Australia?”

The first episode tracks Virginia’s childhood, her descent into Epstein’s web and her chance meeting of her-husband-to-be, Australian Robbie Giuffre, in Thailand.

The pair met in October 2002 when Virginia, then 19, was on holiday in Thailand after escaping the clutches of Epstein. They married in 10 days and lived almost all of their 22-years of married life in Australia. 

The second episode reveals the first signs of abuse noticed by Virginia’s family when she was living in the United States and a horrifying incident in Colorado that would have lasting consequences for Robbie, ultimately leading to the family returning to Australia to live. 

The third episode examines the last four months of Virginia’s life, including the West Australian police response to a violent incident between Robbie and Virginia, and how Virginia ended up losing access to her two youngest children for six months. 

The final episode details Virginia’s increasing isolation and the circumstances surrounding a social media post by Virginia that rippled out across the globe.

Melissa Fyfe said:

“By the end of her life, Virginia was a wealthy woman. And a famous campaigner for justice. Despite this, she still fell through the gaps of our justice and police systems.” 

Carla Hildebrandt said:

“One of the most confronting parts of investigating this story was realising that after years of reforms and growing awareness around domestic violence, victims are still too often misunderstood, disbelieved and left to navigate systems that fail them.”

New episodes of Virginia will be released every Saturday from July 11 across The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, WAToday, APPLE,  SPOTIFY, PODCAST APP among others 

Friday 10 July, 2026