A number of women who accused disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein of sexually abusing them, have appeared in court to powerfully denounce the fact he escaped justice by taking his own life.

Two weeks after the 66-year-old, who had once counted Bill Clinton, Donald Trump and Prince Andrew among his friends and associates, killed himself in jail, a number of women said they had been let down by the system.

“I feel very angry and sad that justice has never been served in this case,” Courtney Wild, one of the women, told the hearing before federal judge Richard Berman.

She said by taking his own life while awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges – charges he had denied – she and other women had lost the chance to see him potentially convicted. “For that, he is a coward,” she said.

Before Tuesday’s hearing in New York got underway, Mr Berman explained why he had called the session to allow the women to speak, as prosecutors asked that charges against Epstein be dropped now that he was dead.

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“The victims have been included in the proceeding today both because of their relevant experiences and because they should always be involved before, rather than after, the fact,” he said.

He also dismissed a claim made in a legal journal that by holding the hearing, he was creating unwarranted drama. “The news on August 10 that Jeffrey Epstein had been found dead in his cell, was certainly shocking,” said Mr Berman. “It is a rather stunning turn of events.”

He added: “What little drama might happen today, I don’t think, would be very significant. Public hearings promote transparency and provide the court with insights and information that the court might otherwise not be aware of.”

Brad Edwards, a lawyer who represents a number of women who say they were sexually abused by Epstein, said: “I have in the courtroom today 15 victims I represent and have represented over the years. There are at least 20 more who didn’t make this hearing today.”

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He said Epstein’s “untimely death” was “curious”. He added: “More so, it makes it absolutely impossible for the victims to ever get the day in court that they wanted, and to get full justice. That now can never happen.”

One woman, who asked not to be identified, told the court: “We do need to know how he died. It felt like a whole new trauma…It didn’t feel good to wake up that morning and find that he allegedly committed suicide.”

Epstein was arrested on July 6 and pleaded not guilty to federal charges of sex trafficking involving dozens of girls as young as 14. He was found dead earlier this month, a day after new court documents that revealed more details of the allegations against him and others, were unsealed – something that has helped further fuel conspiracy theories about his death. An autopsy concluded he hanged himself.

Epstein’s arrest in New York came more than a decade after he voided being prosecuted on similar federal charges in Florida by striking a deal that allowed him to plead guilty to state prostitution charges.

That deal, which has been widely criticised as too lenient, resulted in Epstein serving 13 months in a county jail, which he was allowed to leave during the day on work release.