US judge orders names of more than 170 Jeffrey Epstein associates to be released

The names of more than 170 associates of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein could be made public next month after a ruling from a US judge.

Prince Andrew is expected to be among them, if evidence is released from a woman who claims he groped her in 2001.

The identities are being revealed under a settled lawsuit against sex trafficker and Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell.

Anyone on the list has until 1 January to appeal to have their name removed.

Epstein, a millionaire financier known to mix with high-profile figures like Prince Andrew, died in jail in 2019.

His death, as he awaited federal sex-trafficking charges, was ruled to be a suicide by the New York medical examiner.

The 51-page ruling issued on Monday by New York Judge Loretta Preska calls for Epstein's connections to be "unsealed in full".