Epstein ran extensive UK trafficking operation

Jeffrey Epstein's UK operation was far more extensive than previously known, with evidence showing he rented several flats in Kensington and Chelsea to house women he allegedly abused, according to multiple media reports. The BBC, which searched through millions of pages of records from the US Department of Justice's investigation of Epstein, found receipts, emails, and bank records documenting at least four flats. Six women housed in those flats have come forward as victims of Epstein's abuse. Some of these women were coerced by Epstein to recruit others into his sex trafficking scheme and were regularly transported to Paris by Eurostar, according to emails in the files. Epstein secretly paid for young women to stay at a luxury flat in London until shortly before his death, and discussed the property with an unnamed woman five days before his arrest in July 2019. The woman thanked Epstein for the London flat and noted its location in Chelsea, to which Epstein replied asking whether it was 'far from school', suggesting involvement of a school. Epstein may have paid for women to be enrolled at the Frances King School of English, near the flat, according to research. He also paid rent on behalf of a third woman on a property near Sloane Square in 2018. In one email, Epstein warned a woman: 'If you stop working, your money from me stops.' Epstein had close ties to Prince Andrew and allegedly visited Buckingham Palace, according to research.

British police had multiple opportunities to open an inquiry into Epstein's UK activities but failed to act, according to multiple media reports. Many of the women were brought to the UK after the Metropolitan Police decided not to investigate Virginia Giuffre's 2015 allegation of international trafficking to London. The Met said it followed 'reasonable lines of inquiry' and cooperated with US investigators. By early 2020, a second woman had complained to the Met that she had been abused by Epstein in the UK, but it is not clear whether that complaint was acted on. British authorities knew in 2020 that Epstein had rented at least one of the flats identified by the BBC. According to BBC News, human rights lawyer Tessa Gregory described being 'staggered' that no UK police investigation had been launched. The Met said it recognized its duties under Article 4 of the European Convention on Human Rights and was confident these were fulfilled. Former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown called on the Metropolitan Police to 'urgently' re-examine claims Epstein's victims were trafficked to the UK, saying emails showed a paper trail of visas, payments and transport records demonstrating trafficking of women and girls. According to www.bbc.com, US lawyers representing Epstein victims described it as 'shocking' that there has never been a full-scale UK investigation into his activities. One British victim who helped convict Ghislaine Maxwell has never been contacted by UK police, according to her Florida-based lawyer Brad Edwards.

Flight records show that almost 90 flights linked to Jeffrey Epstein arrived at and departed from UK airports, according to research from multiple sources. Three British women who were allegedly trafficked appear in Epstein's records of flights in and out of the UK, and unidentified 'females' were listed among passengers on those flights. Fifteen of the UK flights took place after Epstein's 2008 conviction for soliciting sex from a minor. Defence Secretary John Healey ordered a review of military files for any evidence that Epstein used RAF bases to traffic girls into the UK, according to multiple media reports. An MoD spokesperson said the Defence Secretary ordered a review of all records relating to Epstein flights landing at RAF bases. UK police are 'assessing' information about private flights into and out of Stansted Airport following the release of DOJ documents, according to an Essex Police spokesperson. Stansted Airport stated that private aircraft operations are conducted through separate independent terminals, and it does not manage passenger arrangements. At least ten police forces are assessing allegations of Epstein's links to the UK, with several looking into claims his private jet was flown into UK airports to traffic victims, according to sources. Sources fear there could be many victims who were abused in Britain, putting pressure on police to open a full-scale investigation. However, other reports indicate at least six British police forces are looking into information from the Epstein files, reflecting different stages of the investigation or different sources of information.

New evidence continues to emerge, with the National Crime Agency (NCA) identifying payments from accounts held or controlled by Epstein or his associated companies, according to the Sunday Times. Epstein has been linked to a property in Kensington after a dossier on 'suspicious payments' was put together by the NCA and shared with the FBI. Recent documents from the Epstein files highlighted one person who thanked Epstein for the use of a London apartment, prompting him to ask: 'Is it far from school?' The NCA has held informal talks with US authorities on having access to unredacted copies of the Epstein files for British police, according to multiple media reports. According to Daily Mirror - Main, Gordon Brown described Epstein may have trafficked victims in English-language schools in the US to obtain US visas, and believes a probe should look into whether this happened in the UK. The full extent of Epstein's connections to UK institutions, including schools and royal circles, remains unclear. The number of total victims abused in the UK has not been confirmed, and it is unknown why the Metropolitan Police decided not to investigate Virginia Giuffre's 2015 complaint. The Defence Secretary's review into whether Epstein used RAF bases to traffic victims has not yet reported its findings.