Sex-criminal financier Jeffrey Epstein housed women who say he abused them in several London flats in the years after UK police decided not to investigate him, the BBC can reveal.
We found evidence of four flats, rented in the affluent borough of Kensington and Chelsea, in receipts, emails and bank records contained within the Epstein files. Six of the women housed in them have since come forward as victims of Epstein's abuse.
Many of them - from Russia, eastern Europe, and elsewhere - 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 Met said it followed reasonable lines of inquiry at the time, interviewing Giuffre on multiple occasions following her complaint and cooperating with US investigators.
Some of the women housed in the London flats were coerced by Epstein to recruit others into his sex trafficking scheme, and were regularly transported to Paris by Eurostar to visit him, according to emails in the files.
The BBC searched through millions of pages of records gathered by the US Department of Justice in its investigation of the disgraced financier, revealing how his operation in the UK was more extensive than previously known.
The investigation shows how the operation grew with more victims, established housing infrastructure, and frequent border transportation of women, right up to Epstein's death, despite warnings to UK police.
By early 2020, a second woman had complained to the Met about abuse by Epstein in the UK; however, it remains unclear if this complaint prompted any action.
British authorities were aware that Epstein rented flats identified by the BBC shortly after his death. Tessa Gregory, a human rights lawyer, expressed astonishment that no UK police investigation was initiated despite credible allegations.
Kevin Hyland, a former senior detective, noted missed opportunities for investigation, questioning why allegations of trafficking received insufficient response from police.
Epstein used Eurostar trains for regular transportation of women and made frequent visits to the UK, purchasing at least 53 tickets from 2011 to 2019. His scheme involved grievances about living conditions faced by women in London, prompting outbursts from him towards victims.
The investigation also highlighted further connections between Epstein and various European authorities, raising concerns over potential ongoing trafficking operations by associates of Epstein.
As calls for transparency and inquiries grow, survivors aim to reveal failures within the legal system that allowed Epstein's network to persist for so long.
