Financier Jeffrey Epstein maintained a network of London flats to house women he allegedly abused, years after UK police opted against investigating him, a BBC investigation has revealed. This detailed operation persisted until Epstein's death in 2019, raising urgent questions about accountability and systemic oversight. Human rights lawyer Tessa Gregory expressed disbelief, stating that the findings indicate a failure to uphold legal obligations.
The BBC investigation, drawing on millions of pages of records gathered by the US Department of Justice, meticulously pieced together an extensive network of operations within the UK. This comprehensive review revealed a scope far broader than previously understood. It included more victims, established housing infrastructure, and frequent cross-border transportation of women.
These elements persisted until Epstein's death. Here is what the investigation actually reveals about Epstein's London footprint: evidence points to at least four flats, all rented within the affluent Kensington and Chelsea borough. These residential arrangements were documented through receipts, emails, and bank records found within the extensive Epstein files.
Six of the women housed in these properties have since come forward, identifying themselves as victims of Epstein's abuse. These individuals, many originating from Russia, Eastern Europe, and other regions, were brought into the United Kingdom after the Metropolitan Police decided against pursuing an investigation into Virginia Giuffre's 2015 allegations. Ms.
Giuffre had claimed she was trafficked internationally to London. Some of the women residing in these London flats were allegedly coerced by Epstein into recruiting other individuals into his sex trafficking scheme. They were also regularly transported to Paris by Eurostar to visit him, according to emails contained within the files.
This sophisticated logistical network facilitated continuous movement. The BBC's deep dive into these records provides the most detailed picture yet of his covert operations within the UK. Giuffre's initial complaint.
Giuffre specifically alleged she had been trafficked and forced to have sex with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in 2001; Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied any wrongdoing. By early 2020, a second woman had lodged a complaint with the Met, alleging abuse by Epstein in the UK, as established by the BBC. Whether this specific complaint resulted in any action remains unclear.
British authorities also became aware in 2020, shortly after Epstein's death in jail while awaiting trial, that he had rented at least one of the flats later identified by the BBC, a document in the files indicates. This knowledge existed early on. Tessa Gregory, a human rights lawyer with Leigh Day, expressed her astonishment to the BBC after reviewing examples of the investigation's findings.
Gregory stated. She emphasized that where credible allegations of human trafficking exist, the UK state has a positive legal obligation to conduct a prompt, effective, and independent investigation, even if no victims directly come forward. The Met Police, in response, stated: "We recognise our duties within Article 4 of the European Convention on Human Rights and are confident these were fulfilled." Article 4 protects the right to freedom from slavery and forced labour.
Kevin Hyland, a former senior detective with the Met Police and the UK's first Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, explicitly told the BBC that police missed chances to investigate the convicted sex offender. "People are outraged that somebody came forward and said, 'I was trafficked by this man', and yet he was just allowed to carry on," Mr. Hyland remarked. "Who in the police made that decision?" He questioned the decision-making process. Based on his extensive experience investigating human trafficking, Mr.
Hyland suggested that officers could have collaborated with travel companies. This collaboration could have involved tracking credit cards and IP addresses – unique identifiers assigned to internet-connected devices – of individuals frequently booking tickets for groups of single women. "Epstein's dead. But it's clear that he wasn't acting alone," Mr.
Hyland observed. "Who else was involved and what offences could they have committed? And of course, importantly, is this still going on with others?" His questions highlight the ongoing concerns. Just a few months before his arrest on charges of trafficking children for sex and his subsequent death, the investigation found Epstein messaging a young Russian woman on Skype.
She was living in one of the London flats he paid for. He sent her an image. The woman jokingly inquired about the good-looking man in the picture.
Epstein replied it was her landlord, adding that, unlike most landlords, he paid rather than collected rent. This exchange vividly illustrates Epstein's manipulative dynamic. The woman later requested money for English classes in London, funds for cutlery and furniture, and visa advice for another Russian woman planning to stay.
The 2019 exchange demonstrates Epstein's continued involvement in the minute details of the women's lives, right up until his arrest. In stark contrast to the often decades-old photographs released in earlier Epstein files, the women housed by him in London appeared in more contemporary settings. They were pictured in Instagram posts, on Russian social media platforms, and in high-end fashion shoots.
The exterior of the flat mentioned in the Skype chat was visible in one such photograph. A doorbell with the building's name helped investigators locate the tenancy agreement in the Epstein files. A shipment of gifts recorded in the files led to another apartment.
Details of a third flat, rented in 2018 and 2019, were discovered deep within a 10,000-page credit card bill. This bill also documented the daily living expenses of the woman staying there, who held her own card on Epstein's account with a monthly allowance of $2,000 (£1,477). The fourth flat was specifically mentioned in emails between Epstein, one of the women, and the letting agents.
Despite their desirable addresses, these flats were sometimes crowded, with women often sleeping on sofas. Emails show Epstein occasionally reacted angrily when women complained about the living conditions. In one instance, Epstein stated he would pay a woman's rent as a "gift" only if she worked for him for six months; otherwise, he would consider it a loan requiring repayment.
Another message revealed Epstein swearing at a woman, calling her "rude" and describing her behavior as "disgusting," telling her she was a "brat who has yet to accept responsibility." Other women living in the flats were coerced into "working" for him by recruiting additional women, the investigation found. One woman sent Epstein pictures of "cute" models she had just met in London. Epstein indicated his approval of their appearance, and the woman stated she would check if they were suitable for him.
It remains unclear whether these specific models were ever introduced to Epstein. Epstein also financed the studies of at least five women, many of whom held student visas, in London. The files contain receipts for course fees at English language colleges.
There were also discussions with a woman about one of Epstein's companies acting as her financial sponsor for a university-level art course. This educational veneer concealed a darker purpose. Epstein utilized the Eurostar to move some of these women, and others, in and out of the UK uninterrupted until his arrest by US authorities in July 2019.
The number of tickets he purchased for young women steadily increased in the final years of his life. The investigation found Epstein purchased at least 53 tickets to transport women between France and England from 2011 to 2019. He sometimes took advantage of Eurostar's reduced "youth" fares for passengers under 25.
Giuffre made her 2015 complaint of trafficking. In the last six months of his life, Epstein moved women in and out of London by Eurostar ten times. One woman was transported to London just 16 days before his arrest.
Lawyers for some of the women transported by Eurostar later confirmed to the BBC that these individuals came forward as victims of Epstein. Several individuals in the UK who worked for Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, his accomplice now serving 20 years in a US prison for trafficking, have been identified by the BBC. These include a man believed to be one of Epstein and Maxwell's drivers and a woman who worked as Maxwell's assistant.
A woman described as a member of Epstein's household staff during the 2000s also relocated to the UK and maintained close contact with him. She appears in FedEx parcel invoices and flight records within the files and frequently sent affectionate emails to Epstein, telling him in 2016, "I always think of you. All my love always." The BBC attempted to contact these individuals to ascertain their knowledge.
The driver did not respond and blocked further contact on WhatsApp. At the address of Maxwell's former assistant, an empty house undergoing construction was found. At the east London block of flats believed to be the home of the former household staff member, the BBC pressed the buzzer and inquired about her. "Who?" came the reply.
After repeating the request, the woman inside the flat simply said "Ooop" before falling silent. The doorbell camera light remained on, indicating she was still watching. She never asked why the BBC was at her door and did not deny being the person sought.
A letter with contact details was left, but no response was received. In statements issued across 2016, 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2025, the Metropolitan Police consistently stated it believed "that other international authorities were best placed to progress" the allegations concerning Epstein. Giuffre three times in 2015 and 2016.
They also stated they contacted several other potential victims. Crucially, the force maintained that "no allegation of criminal conduct was made against any UK-based individual." The Met further asserted it had "maintained close liaison with the United States and other relevant authorities throughout their investigation" to ensure "any UK matters could be identified and to consider any support requested." However, other British authorities were aware of some of Epstein's activities in the UK. Emails in the files show this information was passed to the FBI.
A 2020 memo from the National Crime Agency (NCA) to the FBI highlighted Epstein-related allegations against Clare Hazell, the Countess of Iveagh, a socialite who reportedly flew on the financier's private jet over 30 times. Hazell, who died last year from brain cancer, was accused of sexual abuse by an individual whose name is redacted. This contradicts the Met's claim of no allegations against UK-based individuals.
Hazell. Emails also show the NCA sent financial intelligence about Epstein's UK transactions to the FBI in the same year. Among these were payments to a Coutts bank account for the rent of one of the Chelsea flats where he housed abuse victims.
The NCA stated it does not routinely comment on "the exchange of information with international partners." A Met Police spokesperson confirmed the force was "fully engaged" alongside other forces in the National Police Chiefs' Council group established after the release of the Epstein files. This includes an "assessment of information which indicates that London airports may have been used as transit points in the facilitation of sexual exploitation and human trafficking," which is "ongoing," the Met said. The Met did not directly address the BBC's findings from the files regarding the London flats and Eurostar tickets.
This investigation into Jeffrey Epstein's London operations carries significant weight, extending beyond the immediate details of his abuse. It underscores critical questions about state accountability and the effectiveness of international cooperation in combating human trafficking. When credible allegations emerge, the public expects a rigorous response.
The alleged failure of UK authorities to thoroughly investigate, despite receiving multiple warnings and detailed information, suggests systemic gaps in victim protection and law enforcement. This is not merely a historical account; it illuminates potential ongoing vulnerabilities in the system that could allow similar networks to operate. It highlights the imperative for transparent processes and robust mechanisms to prevent such situations from recurring, ensuring that justice is pursued and vulnerable individuals are safeguarded. - Jeffrey Epstein operated a significant network of flats in affluent London boroughs to house women he allegedly abused. - This operation continued for years, even after UK police received specific trafficking allegations against him in 2015. - British authorities, including the National Crime Agency, possessed specific intelligence about Epstein's UK activities and shared some with the FBI. - Calls for a public inquiry are intensifying, with survivors and legal experts citing a failure of state duty to investigate human trafficking.
Gregory also advocates for a statutory public inquiry, which would possess the power to compel witnesses and meticulously examine these issues. "Where the allegations span so many years and involve public figures and institutions, there are probably wider questions that the state also needs to address, such as how did this go undetected for so long?" she stated. In February, the Paris prosecutor's office opened two investigations into Epstein's activities in France, focusing on human trafficking and money laundering, following complaints from three women. Several UK police forces, including the Met, confirmed in January that they were either making inquiries or assessing information to decide whether to open an investigation.
However, Mr. "I don't know what that is. You're either investigating it or you're not," he said. He maintains that with the trafficking complaint and details of London properties, there was "more than enough to start an investigation." The coming months will reveal whether these ongoing assessments translate into concrete investigations and whether the calls for a comprehensive public inquiry gain traction, demanding full transparency regarding the alleged institutional failures.
Key Takeaways
— - Jeffrey Epstein operated a significant network of flats in affluent London boroughs to house women he allegedly abused.
— - This operation continued for years, even after UK police received specific trafficking allegations against him in 2015.
— - British authorities, including the National Crime Agency, possessed specific intelligence about Epstein's UK activities and shared some with the FBI.
— - Calls for a public inquiry are intensifying, with survivors and legal experts citing a failure of state duty to investigate human trafficking.
Source: BBC News
