Epstein survivors lack faith in UK police investigating Andrew, says lawyer

Women who say they have information about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor do not have enough faith in British police to speak to them, an American lawyer representing hundreds of Jeffrey Epstein victims has told the BBC.

Brad Edwards said he had "multiple clients" who could speak about the former prince but do not believe they would receive proper treatment in the UK, and fear speaking out would result in press intrusion.

Among his clients are a woman who has alleged she was sent to the UK for a sexual encounter with the former prince.

Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently and strenuously denied any wrongdoing.

The National Police Chiefs' Council said people who come forward will be "treated with care, compassion and respect".

Edwards told BBC News: "Our multiple clients, plural, with information about [Mountbatten-Windsor] will not speak with authorities in the UK for two reasons.

"First, the authorities did not care to do anything when Epstein was alive, so their confidence is low.

"Second, and most important, the harassment by the British press has dissuaded them from ever cooperating with UK authorities or speaking with the British press."

Edwards represents a woman who has made an allegation against Mountbatten-Windsor about an encounter at the former prince's home Royal Lodge in 2010, before he had invited her to Buckingham Palace for tea.

She is the second woman to allege she was abused in the UK, following Virginia Giuffre.

Edwards said that "more than one client" had initially been willing to cooperate with British police in relation to that allegation, but were dissuaded when UK-based journalists began investigating the woman, as well as her family.

Edwards said "other victims took notice" of the fact that speaking out had resulted in the woman's privacy being threatened.

Thames Valley Police said it had engaged with the woman's legal team but her lawyer had said she would not communicate with police over fears regarding her privacy.

Edwards confirmed Thames Valley Police had been in contact with him.

BBC News has also spoken Sigrid McCawley, another US lawyer who is representing Epstein survivors who may have been trafficked to the UK by Epstein.

She told BBC News that since the US Department of Justice released the Epstein files in January, she does not believe she has received any form of communication from the Metropolitan Police.

McCawley represented Giuffre, Mountbatten-Windsor's first and most prominent accuser, who alleged she was brought to the UK in 2001 by Epstein to have sex with Mountbatten-Windsor.

Giuffre made a complaint to London's Metropolitan Police in 2015. Officers interviewed her a number of times but she was told there would not be any investigation.

Mountbatten-Windsor settled for an estimated £12m in a civil case she brought against him in 2022. She took her own life last year.

He was arrested on 19 February and released under investigation on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

He has only ever been described by Thames Valley Police as "a man in his 60s from Norfolk", as police forces do not usually name people unless they have been charged.

Mountbatten-Windsor has denied any personal gain from his role as a UK trade envoy between 2001 and 2011.

Epstein, who was convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008, died in a New York prison in 2019 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges.

A National Police Chiefs' Council Spokesperson said: "As part of the UK policing response, efforts have been made to contact victim-survivors who have already chosen to share their experiences publicly.

"In some cases, this has involved engagement with legal representatives; however, we recognise that we have not yet been able to reach everyone and our efforts continue.

"We understand that coming forward can be incredibly difficult, and we want anyone affected to know they can do so in their own time, when they feel ready. Our door remains open.

"Should any victim-survivors choose to contact UK policing, they will be treated with care, compassion and respect, with their wellbeing, privacy and right to anonymity at centre of our response."