Surrey Police Investigate Two Child Sex Abuse Allegations After Epstein Files Release
Surrey Police confirmed that the investigations were prompted by information surfacing from the extensive release of documents connected to the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The force stated it treats "all reports of sexual offending seriously and will work to identify any reasonable lines of enquiry to verify information or establish corroborating evidence."
This announcement follows a prior statement in February, where Surrey Police sought information regarding an allegation of human trafficking and sexual assault from the mid-1990s. At that time, the force indicated no record of the Surrey-related allegations had been previously reported to them.
Epstein, a financier, died in a New York prison cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. He had previously been convicted for soliciting prostitution from a minor over a decade prior. The US Department of Justice has since released over 3.5 million pages of documents linked to Epstein, though inclusion in these documents does not imply wrongdoing.
The National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) has established a national coordination group, collaborating with the National Crime Agency, to support various UK forces examining Epstein-related allegations. Other forces, including Thames Valley Police and the Metropolitan Police, have initiated their own inquiries, leading to arrests such as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Lord Peter Mandelson for alleged misconduct in public office.
Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew and a UK trade envoy, has not commented on his arrest but has consistently denied any wrongdoing concerning his association with Epstein. Lord Mandelson maintains he has not acted criminally and was not motivated by financial gain.
