Group of younger ladies who have been ‘most likely Epstein victims’ mysteriously turned up at science occasion attended by Stephen Hawking, a Nobel prize-winning physicist claims
A group of young women who suddenly appeared at a science symposium funded by Jeffrey Epstein and attended by Stephen Hawking were probably victims of the disgraced financier, a Nobel prize-winning physicist has claimed.
Phillip Peebles, who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2019, said he had no knowledge of Epstein’s crimes when he attended the 2006 gathering on the Caribbean island of St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands.
But he now believes there may have been a darker reason for the presence of several young women during a break in proceedings.
The event, held five months before Epstein was charged with soliciting prostitution from a minor, brought together 24 eminent scientists to discuss one of the deepest unresolved problems in modern physics, how to reconcile Einstein’s theory of general relativity with quantum mechanics.
Hawking was photographed at the symposium with two women in an image later released by the US Department of Justice as part of the Epstein files.
His family have said the women were his carers, who travelled everywhere with him.
The British scientist died in 2018 aged 76, having lived with motor neurone disease for more than 50 years.
Peebles said the meeting was presented as a serious academic conference backed by a wealthy benefactor interested in establishing an ‘institute for advanced study’ in the Virgin Islands.
He described the discussions as intense and serious. But one memory from the trip has stayed with him.
Hawking was photographed at the symposium on the Caribbean island of St Thomas with two women in an image later released by the US Department of Justice as part of the Epstein files. His family have said the women were his carers, who travelled everywhere with him
Pictures that emerged in 2015 showed Hawking in his wheelchair attending a barbecue on the island during the trip
‘Between talks, discussions, we would gather for coffee and mill about, very standard,’ he told The Times.
‘At one time there appeared comely young women who stood about, not saying anything. I couldn’t imagine what they were doing.’
At the time, he said, their presence seemed odd but not alarming and he largely forgot about it.
Only after Epstein’s arrest and the subsequent revelations about his abuse of underage girls and young women did he revisit the memory.
‘I take it for granted that these young women were part of his collection of people who suffered,’ he said.
Peebles estimated there were six to ten of them and said they appeared younger than any of the female scientists present, though he could not judge their ages.
As far as he was aware, Epstein himself was not at the event. However, Peebles and other scientists took a boat trip to picnic on the financier’s nearby private island, Little St James.
He said Epstein sought to cultivate links with leading figures in physics and other fields.
Privately funded conferences were not unusual in his experience and he said he did not question the identity of the benefactor at the time.
What distinguished this meeting, he said, was its small size and the silent presence of the young women who ‘just stood there’.
The theoretical physicist was seen grinning from ear-to-ear alongside two women clutching what appear to be fruity cocktails in a photograph uncovered by the Daily Mail on Tuesday.
The Hawking family said that the photo was taken at the Ritz Carlton Hotel on the Caribbean island of St Thomas in 2006.
Hawking is referenced numerous times in the trove of Epstein documents released by the US Department of Justice. There is no suggestion that his appearance in the files implies wrongdoing.
Hawking posed for the image after having delivered a speech on Quantum Cosmology at a science symposium, his family said.
The Hawking estate declined to say who took the photo or offer an explanation as to how it ended up in the Epstein files.
A spokesperson for the Hawking Family told the Daily Mail: ‘Professor Hawking made some of the greatest contributions to physics in the 20th century while at the same time being the longest-known survivor of motor neurone disease, a debilitating condition which left him reliant on a ventilator, voice synthesiser, wheelchair and round-the-clock medical care.
‘Any insinuation of inappropriate conduct on his part is wrong and far-fetched in the extreme.’
The conference was hosted at the five-star Ritz Carlton hotel on St Thomas, where rooms can cost more than $1,600 (£1,190) per night.
A post on the blog of the Jeffrey Epstein VI Foundation described the event, titled The Energy of Empty Space That Isn’t Zero, and said guests could ‘meet, discuss, relax on the beach, and take a trip to the nearby private island retreat of the science philanthropist Jeffrey Epstein, who funded the event’.
Attendees appeared to split their time between St Thomas and Little St James, Epstein’s private island, where he personally hosted guests.
Photographs that later emerged showed Hawking attending a barbecue on the island during the trip. He was also given a submarine tour of the seabed, with the vessel reportedly modified so he could take part.
The scientist, who had lived with motor neurone disease for decades, had never previously been underwater.
Hawking was later mentioned in court documents after Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre alleged he had ‘participated in an underage orgy’ on the island.
The allegation was strongly denied at the time and there is no evidence to support it.
Court filings showed Epstein instructed associates to challenge the claim and seek statements to rebut it.
FBI officials also received another unsubstantiated tip-off alleging that Epstein visited an ‘all male gay club’ with Hawking in 2011, according to files released by the DOJ.
Hawking is referenced numerous times in the trove of Epstein documents released by the US Department of Justice. There is no suggestion that his appearance in the files implies wrongdoing.
