Former Prince Andrew sues police over arrest amid Epstein case - media
Kyiv • UNN
The former Duke of York is challenging the legality of his arrest and the search warrants for his residences. A closed hearing will take place at the High Court.
The former Duke of York, Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, has sued the Thames Valley Police in the United Kingdom over his arrest in the Epstein case. The Telegraph learned of this, reports UNN.
Details
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was detained eight months ago amid a high-profile scandal, has asked a judge to determine whether the police action against him was lawful.
He filed a claim for judicial review in connection with search warrants that allowed police to search his home on the Sandringham estate and his former residence at Royal Lodge in Windsor.
This is the first time a member of the royal family has challenged the legality of criminal proceedings against them since the trial of Charles I in 1649.
The former prince was detained in February at Marsh Farm in Norfolk on his 66th birthday.
After being taken to Aylsham police station, he was questioned for almost 12 hours on suspicion of misconduct in public office, after which he was released pending the investigation.
In a photograph taken as he was being driven away from the police station, he appeared stunned and exhausted, the publication notes.
Detectives also searched Marsh Farm and Royal Lodge for several days, seizing documents and other items as part of the investigation.
However, it has emerged that his legal team wants to examine whether the search warrants issued by an Old Bailey judge at the request of the Thames Valley Police were lawful.
Mountbatten-Windsor sought permission for a judicial review earlier this year, and his application was subsequently granted by a High Court judge.
The Telegraph has learned that a private hearing will take place at the High Court this week to determine whether certain court documents relating to the judicial review should be made public.
Addendum
Mountbatten-Windsor's arrest followed the publication of material from the Epstein archives suggesting that he may have shared confidential information with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein while serving as the UK's trade representative between 2001 and 2011.
It was alleged that Mountbatten-Windsor forwarded Epstein reports on his visits to Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam and China, and also supposedly sent him a confidential briefing note on investment opportunities in Afghanistan's Helmand province.