The flats served as a hidden infrastructure for what investigators now recognize as an international trafficking operation that continued operating in plain sight, according to receipts, emails and bank records from the Epstein files released by the US Department of Justice.

Many of the women housed in the London flats came from Russia and eastern Europe, brought to the UK after the Metropolitan Police decided against investigating Giuffre's allegation that she had been trafficked to London and forced to have sex with Prince Andrew in 2001. Andrew has always denied wrongdoing.

The BBC's investigation through millions of pages of DOJ records reveals the most detailed picture yet of Epstein's UK operation. Some women housed in the flats were coerced into recruiting others for the sex trafficking scheme, while Epstein maintained direct contact with residents through Skype messages as late as 2019.

"People are outraged that somebody came forward and said, 'I was trafficked by this man', and yet he was just allowed to carry on," said Kevin Hyland, former senior Met detective and the UK's first Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner.

In one 2019 Skype exchange, just months before his arrest, Epstein told a young Russian woman living in one of his London flats that he was her landlord — "but unlike most landlords, he pays rather than collecting the rent." The woman asked for money for English classes and furniture, and sought visa advice for another Russian woman due to visit.

Missed Opportunities

British authorities had multiple opportunities beyond Giuffre's 2015 complaint to investigate Epstein's activities. By early 2020, a second woman had complained to the Met about being abused by Epstein in the UK, though it remains unclear whether this complaint prompted action.

British authorities also knew by 2020 that Epstein had rented at least one of the flats identified by the BBC, according to documents in the files. Despite this intelligence, no UK police investigation was ever launched.

Hyland argues investigators could have worked with travel companies to monitor credit cards and IP addresses of people frequently booking tickets for groups of single women. "Epstein's dead. But it's clear that he wasn't acting alone. Who else was involved and what offences could they have committed?" he said.

The flats themselves paint a picture of systematic operation rather than isolated incidents. Despite their desirable Kensington addresses, they were sometimes crowded, with women sleeping on sofas. Epstein responded angrily when residents complained about living conditions.

One flat was discovered through a shipment of gifts recorded in the files. Another's details were buried in a 10,000-page credit card bill that also recorded daily living expenses for a woman with her own card on Epstein's account, carrying a $2,000 monthly allowance.

Political Fallout

The revelations have intensified scrutiny of UK officials' connections to Epstein. Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces ongoing questions about Peter Mandelson's appointment as US ambassador after emails suggested Mandelson passed sensitive government information to Epstein in 2009-2010, according to NBC News reporting.

Meanwhile, some US House Oversight Committee members reportedly support a presidential pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell in exchange for cooperation with their Epstein investigation, according to the Los Angeles Times. Maxwell is serving 20 years for sex trafficking crimes connected to Epstein.

The Met Police maintains it "followed reasonable lines of inquiry" in 2015, interviewing Giuffre multiple times and cooperating with US investigators. The force says it recognizes duties under Article 4 of the European Convention on Human Rights regarding freedom from slavery and forced labour.

But Gregory expressed bewilderment at the lack of investigation: "I was staggered that no UK police investigation had ever been launched" after reviewing the BBC's findings.

The women housed by Epstein appear in contemporary Instagram posts, Russian social media, and high-end fashion shoots — a stark contrast to the decades-old photos typically released in the Epstein files. Their visible presence in London's social media landscape raises questions about how extensive trafficking operations can operate undetected in major international cities.