Epstein UK flights linked to alleged British abuse victims

A BBC investigation says Jeffrey Epstein flights to the UK carried alleged British abuse victims, raising questions over oversight and police inquiry.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM — A BBC News investigation has identified nearly 90 flights linked to financier Jeffrey Epstein arriving at or departing from UK airports, some carrying British women who say they were abused by him. The findings draw on flight logs, court records and testimony linked to Epstein, who died in a US jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

 

Scope of the flights identified

The BBC reported that incomplete flight logs and manifests show 87 flights associated with Epstein entering or leaving the UK between the early 1990s and 2018. More than 50 of those journeys involved Epstein’s private jets, primarily using Luton Airport, with others recorded at Birmingham International Airport, Edinburgh Airport and RAF Marham in Norfolk.

Documents reviewed by the BBC also include records of commercial and chartered flights paid for by Epstein, mainly via London Heathrow, as well as Stansted and Gatwick. In several private jet logs, passengers were listed only as unnamed “females,” without further identifying details.

Fifteen of the recorded UK flights took place after Epstein’s 2008 US conviction for soliciting sex from a minor, a point legal experts told the BBC should have raised scrutiny over his international travel.

 

Significance and impact

US lawyers representing hundreds of Epstein victims said the findings raise serious questions about the absence of a comprehensive UK investigation into his activities. One lawyer described the UK as a “centrepiece” of Epstein’s operations in Europe, according to the BBC.

Legal specialists told the broadcaster that although Epstein is dead, a UK inquiry could still examine whether individuals or institutions based in Britain enabled or facilitated his crimes. Such investigations, they said, could also help identify additional victims and potential safeguarding failures.

The issue has renewed attention as US authorities face a deadline under the Jeffrey Epstein Transparency Act to release remaining government files related to the case.

 

Background and verified context

Epstein, a wealthy US financier, was convicted in Florida in 2008 and later charged again in 2019 with trafficking minors for sex across multiple US states. He died in custody before the case went to trial.

Testimony from one British woman, referred to as “Kate” during the 2021 US trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, was central to Maxwell’s conviction for child sex trafficking. Court records cited by the BBC show that Kate appeared on more than 10 flights paid for by Epstein between 1999 and 2006.

In her testimony, Kate said she was 17 when Maxwell introduced her to Epstein in London, where she was abused. She also told the court she was later flown to the United States, including New York, Florida and the US Virgin Islands, where the abuse continued.

The BBC said it is not publishing further details about the women named in flight records due to the risk of identification.

 

Reactions and official perspectives

The Metropolitan Police said in a statement that it has “not received any additional evidence that would support reopening the investigation” into Epstein and Maxwell’s UK activities. It added that any new and relevant information, including material released by US authorities, would be assessed

US lawyer Brad Edwards told the BBC that “three or four” of his clients are British women who allege they were abused on British soil by Epstein and others. He said his client Kate has never been contacted by UK police, despite her testimony in the Maxwell trial.

Another victims’ lawyer, Sigrid McCawley, criticised UK authorities for what she described as a failure to examine flight records and passenger details. She said private aircraft were not subject to the same passenger reporting requirements as commercial flights during much of the period covered by the documents.

The UK Home Office told the BBC that private aviation was “not subject to the same centralised record-keeping” at the time, a loophole that was closed in April 2024. It also said immigration and visa records are generally not retained beyond 10 years.

 

What happens next

With further US documents expected to be released, lawyers and experts say additional information could emerge about Epstein’s movements and contacts in the UK. The Metropolitan Police has said it will review any new material that may come to light.

Human trafficking experts told the BBC that complex cases typically involve multiple enablers, not just a single offender. They said any future inquiry would need to examine financial, legal and logistical networks alongside individual allegations.

 

Editorial Credits

Author: Sofia Martinez, Global News Editor

Editor-in-Chief: Maria Perez

Photo Credit: Licensed image or Creative Commons source only