One-time financier, friend of the powerful and now convicted sex offender – Jeffrey Epstein – was charged this week with trafficking dozens of girls in Florida and New York between 2002 and 2005.

As in other high-profile sexual abuse scandals, rumours of Epstein’s sexual predation have been around for years. Unlike others though, Epstein has already faced prosecution.

In 2007, Epstein came to a deal with prosecutor that saw him serve what is now viewed as an extravagantly lenient sentence.

What’s different about this case is the circles that Epstein moved in. He was friends with actors, philanthropists and rock stars, with the famous Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz, with Prince Andrew, and, crucially, with presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump.