Jeffrey Epstein housed some of his alleged abuse victims in flats in London after police in the UK decided against investigating him, according to reports.
The BBC said it had uncovered evidence of four flats in Kensington and Chelsea in receipts, emails and bank records contained within the Epstein files. Six women who stayed in the properties have since accused the late financier of sexually abusing them, the broadcaster said.
Some of the women – including some from Russia and eastern Europe – were brought to the UK after the Metropolitan police decided not to investigate Virginia Giuffre’s 2015 allegation that she had been a victim of international trafficking to London, the BBC said. Giuffre was one of Epstein’s most high-profile accusers, alleging the convicted child sex offender abused and trafficked her.
She claimed in a 2021 US lawsuit that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor had sex with her at a home in London in 2001 when she was 17 after she had been trafficked by Epstein. Mountbatten-Windsor has denied the allegations.
The BBC reported various details from the files dated around 2018 and 2019 – after Giuffre’s allegation – that show Epstein corresponding with women housed in flats in affluent areas of London.
In some of the exchanges seen by the broadcaster, Epstein uses aggressive language after the women apparently complained of the conditions. In one message, he reportedly swears at one woman, calls her “rude” and accuses her of “disgusting behaviour”, saying she was a “brat who has yet to accept responsibility”.
Another message seen by the BBC reveals pictures of “cute” models sent to Epstein by one of the women in London. Epstein also reportedly paid for at least five women – many of whom were in the UK on student visas – to study in London.
Millions of documents, images, videos and emails detailing the activities of Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges, have been released since December last year, including documents collected as evidence in the criminal cases against him and his associates.
The files were released after the US House of Representatives passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act and the Senate unanimously approved it, with Donald Trump signing the bill into law the next day.
The Met said in a statement: “The Metropolitan police service is aware of reporting regarding properties in London linked to Jeffrey Epstein and allegations that women living in them were victims of sexual abuse.
“No allegations relating to criminal conduct in London have been made to the police by the six women referred to in the coverage, but specialist officers are ready to speak to them should they wish to come forward. We have asked the BBC to assist in communicating this to the women concerned.
“In 2015, following a letter from lawyers acting for Virginia Giuffre, the Met followed reasonable lines of enquiry to investigate Ms Giuffre’s complaints. This included interviewing her on multiple occasions, liaising with US authorities, and obtaining specialist CPS advice. No allegation of criminal conduct was made against any UK‑based individual within those interviews and therefore no investigation was commenced.”
