Ghislaine: Epstein's Mentor
Episode notes
Who helped Jeffrey Epstein become Jeffrey Epstein?
In episode four of Ghislaine, journalist Tom Pattinson investigates the strange and little-understood relationship between Epstein and Douglas Leese, the British businessman and arms dealer who became one of his earliest and most important mentors.
The episode features the only ever interview with Julian Leese, Douglas Leese’s son, who gives a rare first-hand account of Epstein’s early years in Britain, his relationship with the Leese family, and the world of money, weapons, influence and elite connections that surrounded him long before his name became infamous.
This is the story of how a former schoolteacher from New York entered a hidden world of wealth, power and international deal-making, and how his relationship with Douglas Leese may help explain the mystery around Epstein’s rise.
From London society to arms deals, intelligence rumours and Epstein’s links to Ghislaine and Robert Maxwell, this episode follows one of the most overlooked threads in the Epstein scandal and asks whether the public story of Epstein’s fortune, contacts and influence has missed one of its most important early chapters.
In this episode:
Jeffrey Epstein’s early relationship with Douglas Leese The only ever interview with Julian Leese, son of Epstein’s mentor How Epstein entered British high society The arms-dealing world around Douglas Leese Epstein’s early connections to money, power and influence The links between Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and Robert Maxwell Why Douglas Leese may be central to understanding Epstein’s rise