UK police Wednesday appealed for information to support claims of the trafficking and abuse of women to Britain which have emerged in the latest files on US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Police in Surrey, southeastern England, said they had become “aware” of a redacted report alleging “human trafficking and sexual assaults on a minor” between 1994 and 1996 in the village of Virginia Water.
The report emerged in the latest tranche of millions of files released by the US justice department from the investigation into Epstein, who died in prison in 2019.
“After reviewing our systems using the limited information available to us, we found no evidence of these allegations being reported to Surrey Police,” a statement read.
“We therefore encourage anyone with information in relation to these allegations to report this to us.”
The statement did not name any individuals involved.
But it comes as high-profile figures, including former UK prime minister Gordon Brown, have urged police to probe dozens of flights dating back decades arriving at UK airports and tied to Epstein.
Writing in the New Statesman magazine last week, Brown said he had been “told privately that the investigations related to the former Prince Andrew did not properly check vital evidence of flights”.
“I have asked the police to look at this as part of the new inquiry,” he stated, adding it appeared “the authorities never knew what was happening”.
At least four separate UK police forces have confirmed they are assessing reports which appear to link the former prince, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, to Epstein.
London’s Metropolitan police has also launched an investigation into the relationship between the UK’s former ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson, and the disgraced financier.
A BBC investigation published in December found almost 90 flights linked to Epstein arrived at and departed from UK airports, some with British women on board who claim they were abused by the billionaire.
The former prince was last year stripped of his titles by his brother King Charles III after one of Epstein’s victims alleged she had been trafficked to have sex with him.
He has previously denied any wrongdoing in his associations with Epstein.
Charles has voiced “concern” over his brother’s actions and has issued an unprecedented statement noting Buckingham Palace was “ready to support” the police in their inquiries.
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