UK police investigating allegations of child sexual abuse after Epstein files release

A UK police force is investigating two separate allegations of non-recent child sexual abuse following the release of files related to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Surrey Police said it was probing one report from locations in Surrey and Berkshire in the mid-1990s to 2000, and a separate allegation from the mid to late 1980s in West Surrey.

The force said no arrests have been made.

In February, the force called for witnesses to come forward after a redacted report released by the US Department of Justice in December set out allegations of human trafficking and sexual assault which allegedly took place in Virginia Water between 1994 and 1996.

Multiple UK police forces have been reviewing information contained within the millions of pages of files released earlier this year.

Surrey Police have followed separate investigations by Thames Valley Police and the Metropolitan Police, who have arrested Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Lord Peter Mandelson respectively for alleged misconduct in public office.

In a statement, Surrey Police said: “Following the release of files relating to Jeffrey Epstein by the US department of justice, we are investigating two separate allegations of non-recent child sexual abuse.

“One report relates to locations in Surrey and Berkshire in the mid-1990s to 2000. The other relates to the mid-to-late 1980s in West Surrey.

“No arrests have been made.

“We take all reports of sexual offending seriously and will work to identify any reasonable lines of inquiry to verify information or establish corroborating evidence.”

Both Andrew and Lord Mandelson were subsequently released under investigation following their separate arrests in February.

Both men feature a number of times in the so-called Epstein files, including images of Andrew bent over an unidentified female and lying across the laps of a number of women.

Images of Lord Mandelson receiving a foot massage and others of him standing in his underwear have also been published by the US department of justice.

Both Andrew and Lord Mandelson have denied any wrongdoing over their association with Epstein.

Epstein died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges.