Women who say they were abused by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were housed in several London flats paid for by the financier, according to evidence uncovered in a BBC investigation. Documents from the so-called Epstein files indicate that at least four apartments in the London borough of Kensington and Chelsea were rented for young women linked to Epstein. Receipts, emails and bank records show the properties were used in the years after British police chose not to pursue an investigation into trafficking allegations raised by Virginia Giuffre in 2015.
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Six women who stayed in the flats have since come forward as victims of Epstein’s abuse, the BBC said. Many of the women were from Russia, eastern Europe and other countries. Some had been brought to the UK after Giuffre told police she had been trafficked to London and forced to have sex with Prince Andrew in 2001, an allegation he has repeatedly denied.
London properties linked to trafficking network
The BBC reviewed millions of pages of documents gathered by the United States Department of Justice as part of its investigation into Epstein.
The records suggest Epstein’s operation in the UK was more extensive than previously known. The flats provided accommodation for women who were sometimes pressured to recruit others into the trafficking network.
Emails in the files also show that some of the women were regularly transported between London and Paris on the Eurostar to visit Epstein.
According to the documents, Epstein purchased at least 53 train tickets for women travelling between France and England from 2011 to 2019. Thirty-three of those tickets were bought after Giuffre made her complaint to the Metropolitan Police.
In the final six months before his arrest in July 2019, women were transported between the two cities ten times, including one journey made just over two weeks before Epstein was detained by US authorities.
Ongoing contact with women in London
Messages found in the files indicate Epstein remained in contact with women living in the London flats shortly before his arrest. In one Skype exchange with a young Russian woman living in one of the properties, he described himself jokingly as her “landlord”, noting that unlike most landlords he paid the rent.
Financial records show Epstein sometimes covered everyday living costs. In one case, a woman living in an apartment had a credit card linked to Epstein’s account and a monthly allowance of $2,000.
Other records show payments for English-language courses and discussions about one of Epstein’s companies acting as a financial sponsor for a university art programme.
Despite the desirable locations, emails suggest the apartments were occasionally overcrowded, with some women sleeping on sofas. Correspondence also indicates that Epstein sometimes responded angrily when the women complained about conditions.
Questions over missed opportunities to investigate
Criticism has been directed at British authorities for failing to launch a criminal investigation into Epstein’s activities in the UK.
Human rights lawyer Tessa Gregory said she was surprised no inquiry had been opened, noting that credible allegations of trafficking place a legal obligation on the state to conduct an effective investigation.
Former Metropolitan Police Service detective Kevin Hyland said police had missed opportunities to pursue the case, arguing that travel and financial data could have been used to identify suspicious patterns involving groups of young women.
The Metropolitan Police said officers followed “reasonable lines of inquiry” after Giuffre’s complaint and interviewed her multiple times while cooperating with US investigators.
Information shared with US investigators
Emails in the files show other British agencies also passed information about Epstein to American authorities.
A 2020 memo from the National Crime Agency to the FBI referenced allegations connected to Clare Hazell, a socialite who had flown on Epstein’s private jet numerous times. Hazell, who denied wrongdoing during her lifetime, died last year.
The NCA also provided financial intelligence to the FBI, including payments linked to the rent of one of the London flats.
The Metropolitan Police said it is currently participating in a national policing group reviewing information released in the Epstein files, including material suggesting London airports may have been used as transit points for trafficking.
Survivors and campaigners are calling for a public inquiry to determine how Epstein’s activities continued for years without a full UK investigation.
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Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 25 April 2026
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