Yard will review claims of Maxwell sex abuse
A DOSSIER of allegations that Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein trafficked, groomed and abused girls and young women in the UK will be reviewed by the Metropolitan Police.
At least half a dozen women have come forward with allegations of abuse by the pair, including serious sexual assault and rape, spanning more than a decade in the 1990s and 2000s.
Evidence of the alleged offences, compiled by Channel 4 News, is said to be a combination of court papers, witness accounts and interviews.
Scotland Yard was asked to investi
‘Clearly enough evidence’
gate claims by Virginia Giuffre that she had been trafficked to London when she was 17 and pressured by Epstein and Maxwell into having sexual relations with Prince Andrew. The Duke of York has vehemently denied the allegations.
The force reviewed the evidence but decided not to proceed with a full investigation in 2016.
In August 2019, following the death of Epstein, officers reviewed the decision from 2016 and concluded that the position should remain unchanged.
Nazir Afzal, the former Chief Crown Prosecutor for north west England at the CPS, said: ‘From what I’ve seen, there is clearly enough evidence for the police to investigate more thoroughly than they have done up to now.
‘It’s concerning, because we’ve got potential victims here. And maybe other victims or alleged victims who may, if an investigation follows its course, be identified.’
Maxwell, 59, is currently in the United States awaiting trial on charges of recruiting and grooming teenage girls from 1994 to 1997 to provide sexual massages to her one-time boyfriend Epstein. She denies all the allegations.
Maxwell faces a raft of charges in the US, including claims she groomed a young woman for abuse in the UK.
However, the woman has never been questioned by the Met, even though she is due to testify in Maxwell’s US trial, according to Channel 4 News.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said last night: ‘We always take allegations of sexual offences and exploitation seriously.
‘The MPS is clear that it will investigate allegations where there is sufficient evidence of an offence having taken place, where it is the appropriate authority to do so and where those against whom the allegations are made are alive.
‘The MPS has continued to liaise and offer assistance with other law enforcement agencies who lead the investigation into matters related to Jeffrey Epstein but is unable to comment on individuals with whom they may or may not have interacted with regard any allegations of crime. We will always consider any new information and will review the information sent to us from Channel 4.’