Surrey Police says it is investigating two separate allegations of “non-recent child sexual abuse” following the release of the Epstein files in the US.
One allegation, police say, relates to a location in Surrey and Berkshire in the mid 1990s to 2000, while the other allegation relates to the mid to late 1980s in west Surrey.
No arrests have yet been made, police say.
Here’s everything we know about the investigation disclosed today.
When did the alleged abuse happen?
In a statement on Tuesday, Surrey Police described the abuse at the centre of allegations as “non-recent”.
“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,” it said.
“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.”
Have the alleged victims been interviewed?
It is understood that Surrey Police are currently searching for evidence to prove or disprove the claims and has interviewed the alleged victims.
The investigation is the first by British police relating to Epstein examining alleged harm against females.
It is understood that no potential suspects have yet been interviewed.
What do we know about the nature of the allegations?
Surrey Police has not given any further insight to any suspects or to the nature of the allegations.
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.
“We take all reports of sexual offending seriously and will work to identify any reasonable lines of enquiry to verify information or establish corroborating evidence. There is no further information at this time,” Surrey Police added.
What other investigations are ongoing?
Separate investigations relating to the Epstein files are being carried out 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.
Mountbatten-Windsor, who served as a UK trade envoy between 2001 and 2011, has not commented on his arrest but has previously denied any wrongdoing over his links to Epstein.
It is understood that Lord Peter Mandelson’s position is that he has not acted in any criminal way and was not motivated by financial gain.
Both Mountbatten-Windsor 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.
However, being named in the Epstein files does not indicate any wrongdoing.
