UK police investigate child sexual abuse allegations linked to Epstein files

Wednesday, 20 May 2026 06:21

It is the first British police investigation linked to Jeffrey Epstein over alleged sexual abuse.

British police are investigating two allegations of decades-old child sex abuse over information ‌that appeared in the Jeffrey Epstein files.

One of the alleged incidents related to locations in Surrey ⁠and Berkshire in southern England in the mid-1990s to 2000, while the other related to alleged incidents in the mid-to late 1980s in west Surrey.

No arrests have been made.

In a statement, Surrey Police said it took "all reports of sexual offending seriously and will work to identify any reasonable lines of enquiry to verify information or establish corroborating evidence".

The force said in February it was seeking information over an allegation of human trafficking and sexual assault dating back to the mid-1990s. Officers found no evidence of the Surrey-related allegations having being reported to Surrey Police.

Following publicity about the allegations, people came forward claiming to hold information.

"We have received several reports as a result, which we are in the process of reviewing," Surrey police said in February.

Epstein, a high-flying financier and convicted pedophile, died in a New York prison in August 2019 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges, accused of running a "vast network" of underage girls for sex.

The US Department of Justice has released more than 3.5 million pages of documents related to Epstein.

There is no suggestion that being mentioned in the documents indicates any wrongdoing.

The Surrey Police investigation follows unrelated probes by other UK forces, who have arrested Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Lord Peter Mandelson over alleged misconduct in public office following claims in the Epstein files.

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