London police defend decision to drop Jeffrey Epstein investigation

Virginia Giuffre says Met did not act after she alleged she had been forced to sleep with Prince Andrew

Scotland Yard has defended its decision to drop an investigation into claims of sex trafficking made against disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein by a woman who says she was forced to sleep with the Duke of York.

It comes after Virginia Giuffre, who alleged she was trafficked to the UK aged 17 to sleep with Prince Andrew, criticised the Metropolitan police for failing to subject her complaint to a full inquiry in 2015.

But Scotland Yard, which says it has liaised with “other law enforcement organisations”, explained it concluded not to launch a criminal investigation as it “would be largely focused on activities and relationships outside the UK”.

Giuffre claims she slept with Andrew three times, including in London in 2001 at the home of his friend Ghislaine Maxwell. A photograph showing the prince with his arm around the then teenager’s shoulder with Maxwell in the background has dogged him in recent weeks as controversy grows surrounding his involvement with Epstein following his disastrous BBC interview.

On Monday, Giuffre accused Scotland Yard of corruption, writing on Twitter: “At first the Scotland Yard told me they were going to forensically examine GM’s [Ghislaine Maxwell’s] house in London – next thing I hear, just like the FBI, they were not allowed to pursue the investigation. Corruption in the highelevels [sic] of gov.”

In a statement on Thursday, commander for specialist crime Alex Murray confirmed the Met received an “allegation of non-recent trafficking for sexual exploitation” against Epstein and a British woman relating to “events outside of the UK and an allegation of trafficking to central London in March 2001”.

He added: “Officers assessed the available evidence, interviewed the complainant and obtained early investigative advice from the Crown Prosecution Service.

“Following the legal advice, it was clear that any investigation into human trafficking would be largely focused on activities and relationships outside the UK.

“We therefore concluded that the MPS [Metropolitan police service] was not the appropriate authority to conduct enquiries in these circumstances and, in November 2016, a decision was made that this matter would not proceed to a full criminal investigation.”

On Thursday night the BBC released a trailer of its interview with Giuffre before its broadcast on Monday.

“He knows what happened, I know what happened and there’s only one of us telling the truth.”

The Prince and the Epstein Scandal | @BBCOne | Monday 2nd December, 9pm#BBCPanorama pic.twitter.com/tMIwWBztRR

— Panorama ? (@BBCPanorama) November 28, 2019

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