British police have expanded their interest in the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein\u2019s links to Britain, by admitting for the first time they are looking at claims he used dozens of private flights into UK airports to traffic women.<\/p>\n
It comes after former prime minister Gordon Brown said that documents about Epstein released in the US showed in \u201cgraphic detail\u201d how the disgraced financier, with links to high-profile people including the former Prince Andrew, was able to use Stansted airport<\/a> in Essex to \u201cfly in girls from Latvia, Lithuania and Russia\u201d.<\/p>\n Essex police on Friday had repeatedly declined to confirm to the Guardian whether it was assessing claims that Stansted had been used for such flights. On Tuesday, the force admitted it was.<\/p>\n Police in the UK are keen to show, sources say, that they will investigate without fear or favour, with allegations about Epstein and his links to the powerful swirling around Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor<\/a>, who is the king\u2019s brother.<\/p>\n In all, four British police forces are now confirmed to be assessing claims to see if full criminal investigations are needed.<\/p>\n The forces involved include Thames Valley police, which is assessing two separate claims against Mountbatten-Windsor and whether they merit a full criminal investigation, and Surrey police, which is assessing another allegation against him.<\/p>\n Mountbatten-Windsor has denied all wrongdoing.<\/p>\n The Metropolitan police is criminally investigating Peter Mandelson for allegedly passing information to Epstein while a Labour government minister.<\/p>\n Bedfordshire\u2019s police force has been unable to say if it is assessing claims that Luton airport was used by planes linked to Epstein to traffic women. Some police sources say it is assessing such claims.<\/p>\n One senior policing source has told the Guardian that a \u201ctsunami\u201d of allegations was expected as a result of the release of millions of files relating to Epstein.<\/p>\n In an article for the New Statesman last week, Brown said the Epstein files showed the financier\u2019s jet making 90 flights to or from UK airports, including 15 after his 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a child.<\/p>\n He said Epstein \u201cboasted\u201d about how cheap Stansted\u2019s airport charges were compared with Paris.<\/p>\n Brown said Stansted airport was where \u201cwomen were transferred from one Epstein plane to another\u201d, adding that \u201cwomen arriving on private planes into Britain would not need British visas\u201d.<\/p>\n He said it seemed as though authorities \u201cnever knew what was happening\u201d, referring to evidence uncovered by the BBC which showed \u201cincomplete flight logs, with unnamed passengers simply labelled as \u2018female\u2019\u201d.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, an Essex police spokesperson said: \u201cWe are assessing the information that has emerged in relation to private flights into and out of Stansted airport following the publication of the US DoJ (Department of Justice) Epstein files.\u201d<\/p>\n A Stansted airport spokesperson said: \u201cAll private aircraft at London Stansted operate through independent fixed base operators, which handle all aspects of private and corporate aviation in line with regulatory requirements.<\/p>\n \u201cAll immigration and customs checks for passengers arriving on private aircraft are carried out directly by Border Force.<\/p>\n \u201cThey use entirely independent terminals not operated by London Stansted and no private jet passengers enter the main airport terminal.<\/p>\n \u201cThe airport does not manage or have any visibility of passenger arrangements on privately operated aircraft.\u201d<\/p>\n In December, a BBC investigation found 87 flights linked to Epstein had arrived at or departed from UK airports between the early 1990s and 2018.<\/p>\n The statement from Essex police comes after the Guardian revealed that the National Police<\/a> Chiefs\u2019 Council (NPCC) said a national group had been set up to support UK police forces that are \u201cassessing allegations\u201d following the publication of the Epstein files.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for the NPCC said: \u201cA national coordination group has been set up to support a small number of forces assessing allegations that have emerged following the publication of the US DoJ Epstein files.<\/p>\n \u201cWe continue to work collaboratively to assess the details being made public to allow us to understand any potential impact arising from the millions of documents that have been published.<\/p>\n