British police signaled a potential expansion of their investigation into Andrew Mountbatten Windsor—including alleged sexual misconduct by him—as they issued a call for more witnesses months after the ousted royal was questioned on suspicion of “misconduct in public office.”
The U.K. probe into former Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor may be expanded to cover sexual misconduct allegations.
GC Images
In an official update issued on Friday, the Thames Valley Police said in addition to the “misconduct in public office” probe, they were also investigating reports of a woman being taken to an “address in Windsor in 2010 for sexual purposes.”
Police said they have engaged with the woman’s legal representative to inform her and, if she comes forward to report the matter, “it will be taken seriously and handled with care.”
The statement didn’t include any details about the woman’s identity, with police saying the probe will “respect her privacy and her right for anonymity.”
Thames Valley Police Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright told the BBC they are encouraging anyone with information to get in touch.
The police official also said a “misconduct in public office” probe is complex and that a “number of aspects of alleged misconduct” are under investigation.
In February, Andrew was detained and questioned by the Thames Valley Police for several hours as part of an investigation into alleged misconduct in public office linked to the release of the Epstein files. Andrew was a longtime associate of the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Files released by the Justice Department showed multiple apparent email exchanges between Epstein and Andrew. Among other things, the former prince appeared to send the financier emails about his official trips to Singapore, Vietnam, Shenzhen and Hong Kong, along with a confidential briefing about investment in reconstruction in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province in 2010. No charges have been brought against Andrew and the ex-royal has “strenuously denied any wrongdoing” in matters related to Epstein.
A tranche of Epstein documents released in January also included several photos of Andrew, including one where the former royal appears to be crouching on all fours over a woman, whose face is redacted, while he looks into the camera. Another photo showed Andrew touching the woman’s abdomen. Email conversations between Andrew and Epstein, released as part of the DOJ dump, included one from 2010 where the convicted sex offender wrote to the former prince saying: “I have a friend who I think you might enjoy having dinner with.” Andrew responded by telling Epstein he “would be delighted to see her.”
Former Prince Andrew Released From Police Custody After Arrest (Forbes)
Queen Elizabeth Pushed For Son Andrew To Become Trade Envoy, Letter Shows (Forbes)
此内容由惯性聚合(RSS阅读器)自动聚合整理，仅供阅读参考。 原文来自 — 版权归原作者所有。