Jeffrey Epstein allegedly sexually abused and trafficked young girls on his private Caribbean island as recently as 2018, according to a new lawsuit filed by the attorney general of the US Virgin Islands.

Epstein’s lawyers have insisted that, after his plea deal in Florida in 2008, Epstein was a changed man who led a law-abiding life.

However, the new case filed on Wednesday – the first to be filed in the US Virgin Islands – alleges that the abuse continued unabated after he was released from jail.

He had been charged by Manhattan prosecutors in July with sexually exploiting dozens of women and girls in New York and Florida, but they did not point to any actions beyond 2005.

Epstein, a wealthy financier, died by suicide inside a Manhattan jail in August, while awaiting trial. His victims, who number in the dozens if not hundreds, are now awaiting civil redress from his $577 million (£443m) estate.