UK police investigate allegations of child sex abuse dating back to 1980s after Epstein file release

LONDON (AP) — Police in the UK say they are investigating two allegations of decades-old child sex abuse after looking into potential crimes revealed in documents from the U.S. Justice Department’s investigation into the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Police in Surrey, the county immediately southwest of London, said in a statement Tuesday that they are investigating two separate allegations. One relates to locations in Surrey and Berkshire in the mid-1990s to 2000. The other relates to the mid- to late 1980s in West Surrey.

No arrests have been made.

“We take all reports of sexual offending seriously and will work to identify any reasonable lines of enquiry to verify information or establish corroborating evidence,’’ police said in a statement.

Surrey is among several U.K. police forces that have worked together to assess potential crimes revealed in documents linked to the late financier and sex offender. The National Police Chiefs’ Council, which brings together police leaders from across the U.K., said in February that it had set up a national coordination group to support forces looking into issues arising from the more than 3 million pages of documents released earlier this year.

While the council didn’t specify the police forces involved in the effort, at least eight have said they are “assessing” information in the files. They are looking into issues ranging from concerns that Epstein’s private jet may have been used in sex trafficking to allegations that the former Prince Andrew sent confidential reports to the financier when he was Britain’s international trade envoy.

The Epstein scandal has rocked the royal family and British politics in recent months because of his links to Peter Mandelson, the U.K.’s former ambassador to Washington, and to the former prince, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

King Charles III in October stripped his younger brother of his royal titles, including the right to be called a prince, in an effort to insulate the royal family from the continuing revelations about his friendship with Epstein.

Danica Kirka, The Associated Press