A new national group has been formed by police to examine the criminal allegations arising from the disclosure of three million pages of documents involving Jeffrey Epstein.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) said the group will support the police forces assessing allegations which emerged after the files’ publication. At least three police forces are examining allegations linked to Epstein, who took his life in August 2019.
The national committee to coordinate the police response met last week and is due to meet again in the coming days. Louisa Rolfe, a Metropolitan police assistant commissioner, chairs the group, which includes experts on sexual offences.
Former prime minister Gordon Brown has said the Epstein files suggest there may have been complicity in the UK in trafficking. He has said the Met should “urgently” re-examine its investigation into Epstein’s victims and interview Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
Writing in the New Statesman last week, Brown said the files suggested a number of British girls were on about 90 flights linked to Epstein which arrived or departed from UK airports, including Stansted in Essex. He said 15 of these flights were given the go-ahead after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for soliciting sex from a minor.
The American lawyer Brad Edwards, who represents Epstein’s victims, has said some victims were abused in the UK. The BBC reported last month that one of Epstein’s victims alleged she was sent to the UK for a sexual encounter with Mountbatten-Windsor. She allegedly stayed at Royal Lodge in Windsor and was given a tour of Buckingham Palace.Mountbatten-Windsor has denied any wrongdoing.
Thames Valley Police is assessing allegations that Mountbatten-Windsor passed on reports of visits to Singapore, Hong Kong and Vietnam and confidential details of investment opportunities. The Met and Surrey police are also examining possible offences relating to the Epstein files.
Mountbatten-Windsor has previously resisted efforts to be interviewed by US investigators but is now under mounting pressure to be interviewed by the police. King Charles already made clear in a statement from Buckingham Palace last week that he is “ready to support” police investigations.
Graham Smith, from the anti-monarchy group Republic, which filed the complaint to Thames Valley Police about Mountbatten-Windsor, said the scandal must result in greater transparency around the royal family. He said: “They’ve been more secretive than the secret service. It has been completely indefensible.”
An NPCC spokesperson said: “We continue to work collaboratively to assess the details being made public to allow us to understand any potential impact arising from the millions of documents that have been published. We continue to support our partners and contribute in any way we can to help secure justice for victims and survivors.”
Newsletters
Choose the newsletters you want to receive
View more
For information about how The Observer protects your data, read our Privacy Policy
Photograph by Jordan Pettitt/Pool Photo via AP