Reiner, 78, and Michele allegedly had their throats slit while they were in bedCredit: SplashConan O’Brien has broken his silence after his friend Rob Reiner was killedCredit: ReutersNick Reiner has been charged with murdering his parentsCredit: Getty
The couple arrived at that party with Nick because they were reportedly afraid to leave him alone.
Conan O’Brien told The New Yorker: “I knew Rob and Michele, and then increasingly got closer and closer to them, and I was seeing them a lot.
“My wife and I were seeing them a lot, and they were so — they were just such lovely people.
“And to have that experience of saying goodnight to somebody and having them leave and then find out the next day that they’re gone. … I think I was in shock for quite a while afterward. I mean, there’s no other word for it. It’s just very — it’s so awful. It’s just so awful.”
O’Brien admitted it is still “hard for me to comprehend” the tragedy.
Reiner’s son Nick faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole if he’s convicted.
The death penalty has not been ruled out.
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This comes after Reiner told friends he was terrified of his own son and feared he could hurt him just hours before the Hollywood legend and his wife were found dead.
Nick, 32, had been living in the guesthouse of his parents’ $13.5 million Brentwood estate.
He had struggled with drug addiction since his teens, undergone at least 18 stints in rehab and experienced periods of homelessness.
Sources say Nick behaved erratically at the holiday party and unsettled guests.
According to MailOnline, Reiner told friends: “I’m petrified of him”.
“I can’t believe I’m going to say this but I’m afraid of my own son. I think my own son can hurt me.”
Michele Singer Reiner and Rob Reiner were found murdered on December 14 last yearCredit: Instagram/michelereinerNick Reiner was arrested near a Los Angeles gas station the same dayCredit: LAPD Gang and Narcotics DivisionCCTV captured him shopping before he was detainedCredit: KABC
At one point, Reiner introduced Nick to Bill Hader.
Nick then interrupted Hader mid-conversation, according to accounts.
Hader reportedly told him he was “in the middle of a private conversation.”
Nick reacted angrily, stood still, stared at Hader and stormed off.
It was moments later that Reiner approached friends and voiced his fear.
Hours after the gathering, prosecutors allege Nick returned home and killed both his parents in the early hours of Sunday, December 14.
On the Sunday afternoon, a masseuse contacted the Reiners’ 27-year-old daughter Romy after being unable to gain entry to the home.
Romy rushed to the house and found her father’s body before fleeing in distress.
She later learned her mother had also been killed.
Billy Crystal was seen outside the home with his wife Janice, wiping away tears as police arrived.
Crystal later joined Albert Brooks, Larry David, Martin Short and Barry Levinson in a statement praising Reiner as “a great comic actor” and “a master storyteller.”
Police said both victims were found in the master bedroom and no other suspects were located.
Nick was arrested around 9pm on Sunday near the Expo/Vermont Metro station.
Earlier that morning, he had checked into a Santa Monica hotel.
About an hour before his arrest, he was seen acting nervously while buying a Gatorade at a gas station.
Nick has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and is being held without bail.
The legendary career of iconic director Rob Reiner
FAMED actor, director and producer Rob Reiner, 78, died on December 14 alongside his wife Michele Singer, 68, in an apparent homicide.
Here is a look at the prodigious list of achievements the Hollywood powerhouse earned before his tragic and sudden death.
Director’s Beginnings
Reiner was born in New York City on March 6, 1947, to legendary comedy writer Carl Reiner and singer Estelle Reiner
He studied at the University of California, Los Angeles film school before breaking into the entertainment industry
Hollywood Career
Reiner first found fame as an actor playing Michael “Meathead” Stivic on the iconic sitcom All in the Family from 1971 to 1979
In 1984, he directed his first film This Is Spinal Tap – a mockumentary following a fictional heavy metal band
Reiner went on to direct cult classic films like The Princess Bride in 1987 and When Harry Met Sally… in 1989
Other notable movies made by the director include Misery, The American President, and A Few Good Men, which earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture
The production company he co-founded, Castle Rock Entertainment, has also produced hits like Seinfeld and The Shawshank Redemption
Reiner didn’t halt his acting career either, recently starring in The Wolf of Wall Street in 2013 and The Bear in 2025
Personal Life
Reiner married actress Penny Marshall in 1971 and adopted her daughter, Tracy, from a previous marriage. The couple divorced in 1981
He met photographer Michele Singer while shooting When Harry Met Sally
They married in 1989 and had three children: Jake, born 1991, Nick born 1993, and Romy born 1997)
Nick opened up about his struggle with drug addiction in 2016. The movie Becoming Charlie, directed by Reiner, was based on Nick’s story
Reiner was an outspoken Democratic activist and a fierce critic of Donald Trump
Rob Reiner’s home in Los Angeles, California where he and his wife were found deadCredit: EPA
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor remains under investigation, which means he has neither been charged nor exonerated by police.
British police are searching the former home of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor for a second day after questioning him on suspicion of misconduct in public office linked to his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.
The search of the disgraced royal’s former Royal Lodge home on the Windsor estate continued on Friday, one day after the 66-year-old was released under investigation after being held by police for 11 hours over allegations that he sent confidential government documents to the late convicted sex offender Epstein.
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During his time in custody, police had raided Wood Farm on the sprawling grounds of the King’s Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, where he is currently living, and his former home, the 30-room Royal Lodge residence in the parkland near Windsor Castle, west of London.
Unmarked vans, believed to be police vehicles, were seen entering the grounds in Windsor throughout Friday morning.
Mountbatten-Windsor remains under investigation, which means he has neither been charged nor exonerated by Thames Valley Police, the force responsible for areas west of London.
The king issued a rare, personally signed statement Thursday, insisting “the law must take its course”, seeking to project a business-as-usual air on one of the most tumultuous days in the modern history of the United Kingdom’s royal family.
Mountbatten-Windsor has always denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, but the release of millions of documents by the United States government showed the friendship continued long after the financier was convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008.
Those files suggested Mountbatten-Windsor had shared British government reports with the financier while serving as the government’s special representative for trade and investment. The reports related to investment opportunities in Afghanistan and assessments of Vietnam, Singapore and other places he had visited.
Thames Valley’s Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright said in a statement on Thursday that officers had now opened a full investigation into the offence of misconduct in public office.
A conviction for misconduct in a public office carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, and cases must be dealt with in a Crown Court, which handle the most serious criminal offences.
Thames Valley Police has previously said it was also reviewing allegations that a woman was trafficked to the UK by Epstein to have a sexual encounter with Andrew. Thursday’s arrest was not related to that allegation.
In 2022, the king’s brother settled a civil lawsuit brought in the US by the late Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexually abusing her when she was a teenager at properties owned by Epstein or his associates.
Other police forces are also conducting their own investigations into Epstein’s links to the UK, including the assessment of flight logs at airports. They are coordinating their work within a national group.
On Friday, London’s Metropolitan Police said it was assessing, with the help of US counterparts, whether the capital’s airports, which include Heathrow, “may have been used to facilitate human trafficking and sexual exploitation”.
It also said that it is asking past and present officers who protected Mountbatten-Windsor to “consider carefully” whether they saw or heard anything that may be relevant to the investigations.
As of now, it said no new criminal allegations have been made regarding sexual offences within its jurisdiction.
The arrest of the senior royal, eighth in line to the throne, is unprecedented in modern times. The last member of the royal family to be arrested in the UK was Charles I, who was beheaded in 1649 after being found guilty of treason.
The cause of death for Peter Greene, a character actor known for playing villains in movies including “Pulp Fiction” and “The Mask,” has been revealed by New York City’s Office of Chief Medical Examiner.
Police found Greene, 60, dead in his apartment Dec. 12. They didn’t suspect foul play.
His death was ruled an accident, the M.E.’s office said via email. Greene died from a “gunshot wound of left axilla with injury of brachial artery,” the office said. In everyday English, that means he shot himself in his left underarm and injured a significant artery that starts in the shoulder and runs down to the elbow crease.
Police found the character actor in his Lower East Side apartment, Deadline reported, after neighbors heard Christmas music playing for days and one of them called authorities and the landlord for a wellness check.
Greene had a history of addiction, per the New York Post, and attempted suicide in the 1990s. He was scheduled to go in for a procedure to remove a benign tumor near his lung on the day he was found, the outlet said. His manager had talked to him two days before he was found.
“He sounded OK … It was just a totally normal conversation. He was a little nervous about the operation going in, but he said it wasn’t super serious,” manager Gregg Edwards told the Post in December. “He was talking about that and hoping that I was going to be OK and wishing me well as I was wishing him well. We’re good friends. I love the guy.”
Greene’s best-known role was the villain Zed, who was brought in to torture Bruce Willis and Ving Rhames’ characters in Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 classic “Pulp Fiction.” In “The Mask,” also released in 1994, he played mobster Dorian Tyrell, antagonist to Jim Carrey’s Stanley Ipkiss, a.k.a. the Mask.
Those roles came only a couple of years into Greene’s career, which per IMDb included nearly 100 TV and film credits from 1990 to 2026. His TV credits included episodes of “Chicago P.D.,” “Hawaii Five-0,” “Law & Order,” “Justified” and more.
He started out with parts in a couple of TV shows in the early 1990s before landing the lead role in “Laws of Gravity.” In 1995, Times movie critic Kenneth Turan called the 1992 film “independent American filmmaking at its best” and described Jimmy (Greene) as “a small-time street outlaw who, though horrified at the thought of actual work, is stable by local standards” in Brooklyn’s then crime-ridden Greenpoint neighborhood.
The New Jersey native, born Oct. 8, 1965, studied Method acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in New York City when he was in his 20s. He told Premiere magazine in 1996 that he ran away from home at age 15 and lived on the streets, using and dealing drugs and hiding from other dealers in theaters, where he got into acting. His drug use overlapped with his early success on screen.
After a 1996 suicide attempt, the actor said, he got treatment for addiction and sobered up.
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, the former UK prince and younger brother of King Charles, has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office as police investigate claims he shared confidential material with convicted sex-offender Jeffrey Epstein.
A BRITAIN’S Got Talent star was accused of a child sex offence just days before she was found dead at home, an inquest heard.
Kerri-Anne Donaldson, 38, reached the semi-final of the ITV show in 2014 as part of the group Kings and Queens.
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Kerri-Anne Donaldson was found dead at her home in 2023Credit: instagramShe had been arrested just days beforeCredit: instagramKerri-Anne was part of the group Kings and Queens, pictured second from the left
An inquest heard today Kerri-Anne was arrested on suspicion of “child sex offending” but no further details were revealed.
The dancer was detained on June 4, 2023, and questioned at a police station.
She was discovered dead at home in Farnborough, Hampshire, three days later by her sister Cara Donaldson.
There was a note at the top of the stairs urging Cara not to come inside alongside photos of her dog and family.
The song “You are so Beautiful” was also playing when Kerri-Anne was found, the inquest heard.
The court was told the performer’s cause of death was given as hanging.
A post mortem also found she had non-fatal levels of medication in her blood, which were consistent with an overdose.
The inquest heard evidence yesterday from Detective Constable Benjamin Harris, of Hampshire Constabulary, who led the investigation into the unknown accusation against Kerri-Anne.
He said her accuser had let police know the dancer threatened to take her own life “if someone finds out” about the allegation.
Det Con Harris said he had considered the possibility her comments could be a “form of control” against the complainant.
He said: “In my experience in some offences it can often be said without wanting to carry it out.”
The officer told the inquest the suggestion of self-harm was “something we take very seriously” and he reported it to his senior officers and advised his colleagues who arrested Kerri-Anne.
He said following the interview, he graded the dancer’s risk of self-harm as “standard”.
The officer added: “When I spoke to Kerri, which was after the interview, in the cell she presented to me at that time that she was fine, so normal.
“She had no indication that she wanted to take her own life, when that was spoken about with her she gave no indication that would happen.”
Det Con Harris said Kerri-Anne told him she had seen a counsellor previously and added: “She knew how to get help and she was in no way considering harming herself.”
But he told the court “with the benefits of hindsight” he should have included a question about the complainant’s comments when making the risk assessment.
The inquest heard yesterday how following her release from custody, Kerri-Anne failed to return home – causing her family to report her as a missing person.
She was later found at a Travelodge hotel in Woking, Surrey, after taking an overdose.
Cara said her sister told an emergency doctor at St Peter’s Hospital in Surrey that she had wanted to kill herself.
Recalling the tragic statement, she continued: “I just wanted to hug her.”
Psychiatric liaison nurse Serina Juru, who carried out a mental health assessment after the overdose, said today she assessed Kerri-Anne as at a “high and imminent risk of suicide” and rated her risk as level 10 out of 10.
She told the court the dancer said she could be sent to prison if convicted of the offence and that she “could not face that”.
The nurse added: “She wanted to end her life because she was embarrassed about what had happened.”
Ms Juru said she offered Kerri-Anne an “informal” admission to hospital for further assessment or home care support but she refused both that day leading her to start a “high-risk care plan”.
She said the performer also told her that if she was discharged into the care of her sister Cara, she would wait for her to leave to look after her children and then take her own life.
The inquest heard Kerri-Anne was discharged from hospital the following day into Cara’s care when Ms Juru was not on duty.
Psychiatrist Dr David Enright, who had assessed her, said she was “calm” and no longer thinking about suicide.
But Cara said when she drove her sister home on June 6, the dancer told her she had made the decision to take her own life.
She claimed the family had not been given any care plan or advice on how to assist the star when they left the hospital.
Cara also said she asked her sister about the allegation and was told she was not guilty and that it had “all been constructed”.
She said she spent the evening with her sister and was reluctant to leave her alone, saying: “If you do anything, Kerri, that will always be on my shoulders.”
Cara continued: “[Kerri-Anne] joked ‘I am not going to do that’, so I left.
“One of the last messages was ‘Thanks for everything today’ and she gave a heart emoji, I just thought she was OK.”
But when Kerri-Anne did not answer the phone the next morning, Cara went round to her home and discovered her dead.
Describing her sister, she said: “Heart of gold, full of fun, brought happiness to life, especially mine, career-driven, adored her family, adored her friends, fantastic dance teacher, everyone loved her.”
She said Kerri-Anne had been on television a few times and added: “Her main passion was to choreograph dancing.”
The Kings and Queens Latin dance troupe were a big hit with BGT fans, making it all the way to the semi-final of the ITV show.
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
Following her death, Neil said: “Kerri Anne Donaldson – remember that name and please never forget it because it belongs to a woman who loved to dance, create and perform, she had the cheekiest laugh and a heart of gold.
“She hated getting in the car with me, but would always listen to my crazy ideas, we shared so many moments and stories and she was always the voice of reason.
“Kerri you were my friend and like my big sister.”
Ex-Strictly dancer Joanne Clifton also paid her respects to the “beautiful dancer”.
She said: “I have no words… This is just heartbreaking.. truly devastating.
“We’ve known you and shared the dance floor with you basically all our lives.
“Dance up there with the angels Kerri.. you beautiful dancer, you beautiful soul.”
Amy Dowden echoed those sentiments, writing: “So shocked and sad. Such a beautiful dancer and kind soul.
“Sending love to all your family and friends. Heaven has certainly gained an angel. Keep dancing up there lovely.”
If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123.
Kerri-Anne’s dance troupe reached the semi-final of BGTCredit: instagramShe had been discharged from hospital days before her deathCredit: instagram
The suspect, identified as Carter Camacho from Smyrna, Georgia, was wearing a tactical vest and gloves and had additional ammunition alongside a shotgun.
Published On 18 Feb 202618 Feb 2026
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Police in Washington, DC, have arrested an 18-year-old man as he ran towards the Capitol Building, home to the US Congress, armed with a loaded shotgun and extra ammunition.
The suspect, identified as Carter Camacho from Smyrna in the state of Georgia, was wearing a tactical vest and gloves, and had additional ammunition along with the loaded shotgun, police said on Tuesday.
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The suspect had run “several hundred yards” towards the Capitol Building, brandishing a combat-style shotgun, before he was intercepted by police, the US Capitol Police Chief Michael Sullivan said.
Officers challenged the suspect and ordered him to drop the gun. He complied with the order, lay on the ground and was arrested and taken into custody, police said.
No motive was given by police, who said the suspect’s actions were under investigation, including whether he intended to target Congress, which is not currently in session.
“Who knows what would have happened if we wouldn’t have officers standing here?” Sullivan told a news conference.
Police later found the suspect’s Mercedes SUV parked in front of the US Botanic Garden on nearby Maryland Avenue. A gas mask and a Kevlar helmet were discovered inside the car.
Sullivan told reporters the suspect was not known to the authorities. “The vehicle wasn’t registered to him, and he has multiple addresses,” he added.
US Capitol Police said in a statement that the suspect faces charges of unlawful activities, as well as carrying a rifle without a licence, possession of an unregistered firearm and unregistered ammunition.
Tuesday’s arrest took place one week before US President Donald Trump is scheduled to give his State of the Union address to Congress.
The incident will not alter security preparations for the event, police said.
“We take the State of the Union very, very seriously,” said Sullivan, the police chief.
US Capitol Police officers stand outside the Capitol dome in 2025 [File: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters]
1 of 6 | An image released by the FBI shows a person of interest in the kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie, mother of Today Show host Savannah Guthrie. On Tuesday, police said the DNA found on a glove nearby Guthrie’s home did not find a match in the federal database. Image courtesy of the FBI | License Photo
Feb. 17 (UPI) — The DNA on a glove found Nancy Guthrie’s home was not a match to anyone in the federal DNA database, police said Tuesday.
Guthrie, 84, is the mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie. She has been missing from her home since Jan. 31 and was reported missing after she failed to show up the next morning to watch a live stream of a church service at a friend’s house.
“We’re hopeful that we’re always getting closer, but the news now, I think, is we had heard this morning that, of course, the DNA on the glove that was found two miles away was submitted for CODIS. And I just heard that CODIS had no hits,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told KARE 11 News.
The glove DNA was sent through the Combined DNA Index System, which is managed by the FBI. CODIS is a national DNA database that has more than 19 million profiles of offenders.
“There is additional DNA evidence that was found at the residence, and that is also being analyzed,” Nanos said.
There were about 16 gloves found near Guthrie’s home, and most of the gloves belonged to searchers who discarded them while in the area.
Investigators are also reviewing evidence taken via two search warrants from last week, CNN reported the sheriff said. All those detained for questioning have been released, Nanos said.
Police are “canvassing businesses and showing the doorbell video released by the FBI to determine whether the suspect appears familiar,” the sheriff’s department said in response to questions about gun shops.
On Monday, police confirmed that no members of Guthrie’s family are suspects and that the family have been “100 percent cooperative” in the investigation.
“Not one single person in the family is a suspect,” Nanos said. “Effective today, you guys need to knock it off. Quit. People are hurting — they are victims.”
He added that police took their phones and computers, and processed their vehicles and homes.
Shia LaBeouf’s Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans allegedly took a violent turn Tuesday morning, landing him in the hospital and facing charges of battery.
The New Orleans Police Department confirmed that officers arrested the “Megalopolis” and “Honey Boy” actor, 39, at 12:45 a.m. in the city’s famed French Quarter. He was charged with two counts of simple battery for allegedly assaulting two men.
A representative for the “Transformers” star did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Police arrived at a business on the 1400 block of Royal Street, responding to a reported assault, officials said. The two men alleged they were assaulted by LaBeouf. The former “Even Stevens” child star was “causing a disturbance” at the business, prompting staff to remove him from the premises, police said. LaBeouf allegedly struck one of the victims and “used his closed fists on the victim several times.”
Police say LaBeouf left the business but returned “acting even more aggressive.” According to the incident report, an unspecified number of people tried to subdue LaBeouf and eventually let him go “in hope that he would leave.” Instead, he allegedly began assaulting the same man as before, hitting his upper body with closed fists. The actor is accused of punching the second man in the nose.
Investigators say people held LaBeouf down again until officials arrived. The actor was transported and treated for unknown injuries and was arrested and charged upon his release. TMZ published bystander video of multiple men standing over LaBeouf as he lies shirtless on a street. The video shows one man punching LaBeouf as he tries to get to his feet. Other bystanders can be heard telling both the man hitting and LaBeouf to “chill.” The video ends with two men holding LaBeouf down.
TMZ also published video of LaBeouf sitting shirtless in the trunk of a police vehicle and video of LaBeouf walking through the French Quarter on Monday.
Los Angeles native LaBeouf has a history of violent and disorderly behavior that shadowed his efforts to move past his Disney Channel days in the early aughts. Following his comeback in the form of filmmaker Alma Har’el’s “Honey Boy,” LaBeouf was sued in 2020 by his ex-girlfriend, musician FKA twigs, for assault, sexual battery and emotional abuse. The lawsuit also alleged LaBeouf abused another former girlfriend. He denied her allegations.
“I am not in the position to defend any of my actions. I owe these women the opportunity to air their statements publicly and accept accountability for those things I have done,” he told the New York Times amid the lawsuit.
NBA star Jaylen Brown had a public spat with the Beverly Hills Police Department Saturday night after police shut down a brand event he was hosting.
Brown, who signed a $285-million contract with the Celtics in 2023, was in Los Angeles for the National Basketball Assn.’s All-Star festivities.
He told ESPN that the event was hosted at Oakley founder Jim Jannard’s house. Brown is sponsored by Oakley.
The event took place in the Trousdale section of Beverly Hills and was shut down about 7 p.m. In a video posted on Brown’s Instagram account, the NBA star could be seen arguing with a BHPD officer who was shutting the party down.
“The owner didn’t say we needed a permit,” Brown told the officer in the video. Brown claimed the event was not a party, but rather a panel on culture.
“300k down the drain,” Brown wrote in a post on X after the incident, tagging the Beverly Hills Police Department.
“An event permit had been applied for and denied by the City due to previous violations associated with events at the address,” BHPD said in a statement.
“Despite the fact that the permit was denied, organizers still chose to proceed with inviting hundreds of guests knowing that it was not allowed to occur,” the statement continued.
Brown plays for the Boston Celtics, a historic rival of the Los Angeles Lakers, but added that he was surprised at his treatment by the city of Beverly Hills.
“I feel like we’re being targeted right now,” he said in a video posted to Instagram.
Seven California Highway Patrol officers who piled atop a man screaming “I can’t breathe” as he died following a drunk driving stop.
All three cases had similar outcomes: charges dropped or reduced to no time behind bars after a plea deal.
After a year in office, a pattern has emerged for L.A. County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman, who found himself saddled with a number of misconduct and abuse cases against police officers filed by his predecessor, George Gascón.
During his 2024 campaign, Hochman often chastised Gascón for filing cases he claimed wouldn’t hold up before a jury — while also promising to continue bringing prosecutions against police when warranted.
In recent months, Hochman has downgraded or outright dismissed charges in many high-profile cases that Gascón filed. In the two misconduct cases Hochman’s prosecutors have brought to trial, the district attorney’s office failed to win a conviction.
Those outcomes have infuriated the loved ones of victims of police violence, local activists and even former prosecutors, who say Hochman’s backslide on the issue was predictable after he received millions in campaign contributions from police unions.
Greg Apt, a former public defender who served under Gascón as second-in-command of the unit that prosecutes police cases, said he quit last year out of frustration with the new leadership.
“I had concerns that the cases were not going to be treated the same way under Hochman that they were under Gascón, that alleged police wrongdoing would not be given the same level of oversight,” he said.
Hochman has scoffed at the idea that he’s too cozy with cops to hold their feet to the fire, saying his campaign’s war chest reflected bipartisan support that included Democrats who have been critical of police.
The district attorney said he’s made decisions based on what he can actually prove in court, and argued case reviews within the Justice Systems Integrity Division have become even more rigorous under his leadership.
“I’m going to look at the facts and the law of any case. I don’t believe in the spaghetti against the wall approach where you throw the spaghetti against the wall, and see if anything sticks, and let the jury figure it out,” he said. “That would be me abdicating my responsibility.”
Hochman’s supporters argue he has restored balance to an office that was often filing cases against police that were either legally dubious or flat out unwinnable.
Tom Yu, a defense attorney who often represents cops accused of wrongdoing, said Hochman is handling things in a more fair and objective manner.
Former Torrance Police Officers Cody Weldin, center, and Christopher Tomsic, right, pleaded guilty last year in a conspiracy and vandalism case in which they allegedly spray painted a swastika on a car. Attorney Tom Yu, defense for Weldin, is seen listening to the proceedings.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
“By and large, he’s not going after the cops. But he didn’t dismiss all the cases either. I’m OK with that,” Yu said. “On a personal level, I think he’s doing a very difficult job in the police cases, because someone is always going to be unhappy with the decisions he made.”
It is difficult to win a guilty verdict for an on-duty shooting, with no such convictions in Los Angeles County since 2000. Laws governing use-of-force give officers great latitude, often protecting them even when they shoot someone who is later found to be unarmed or in situations where video evidence shows no apparent threat.
Hochman questioned why he is being criticized when the California attorney general’s office has reviewed dozens of fatal shootings of unarmed persons throughout the state since 2020 and filed no criminal cases.
“If you bring weak cases and you lose, it undercuts your credibility of being any good at your job,” Hochman said. “It undercuts your credibility in saying that we believe in the facts and the law and bringing righteous cases.”
Hochman brought 15 cases against police officers in 2025, according to documents provided to The Times in response to a public records request, compared with 17 filed by Gascón in his final year in office.
But while Gascón had a strong focus on the kinds of excessive force cases the public was clamoring to see charged when he was elected in 2020, Hochman has more often filed charges for offenses such as fraud and evidence tampering.
Hochman’s recent dismissal of charges against most of the officers involved in the death of Edward Bronstein has drawn outcry from his family and at least one former prosecutor.
Bronstein died after screaming in agony as six California Highway Patrol officers piled on top of him in Altadena in 2020. The officers were trying to get a court-ordered blood draw after Bronstein was pulled over on suspicion of drunk driving.
Video from the scene shows Bronstein arguing with the officers while handcuffed and on his knees.
The officers warn Bronstein they’re going to force him down to get a sample. Right before they do, Bronstein mumbles that he’ll “do it willingly,” but they shove him face down while a seventh officer, Sgt. Michael Little, films the encounter. A minute passes. Then Bronstein’s body goes limp.
Officers can be seen trying to revive Bronstein, calling his name and slapping the side of his head, according to the video. But several minutes elapse before officers attempt to deliver oxygen or CPR. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón announces he will ask a judge to resentence Erik and Lyle Menendez for the killing of their parents in 1989, a decision that could free the brothers.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
In 2023, Gascón filed manslaughter charges against the seven officers, as well as the nurse who carried out the blood draw. But late last year, Hochman dismissed charges against all except Little, whose case was reduced to a misdemeanor, for which he received 12 months of probation. Little is no longer a CHP officer, according to an agency spokesman.
Prosecutors are still pursuing manslaughter charges against the nurse at the scene, Arbi Baghalian. His defense attorney, Joe Weimortz, said Baghalian had no control over the officers’ actions or the decision to pursue the blood draw. Weimortz also said he believed the officers were innocent.
Bronstein’s daughter, Brianna Ortega, 26, said in a recent interview that Hochman’s decision to drop the charges felt like a betrayal.
“It just seems like because they’re cops … they must get away with it,” Ortega said. “How are you going to put the blame on one person when all of you are grown men who know better? You have common sense. You have human decency. He is literally telling you he can’t breathe.”
The Los Angeles County coroner’s office could not conclusively determine Bronstein’s cause of death but attributed it to “acute methamphetamine intoxication during restraint by law enforcement.” Bronstein’s family was paid $24 million to settle a wrongful death suit in the case.
Hochman said his office reviewed depositions from the civil case — which he said Gascón did not do before filing a case — and did not believe he could win a manslaughter case because it was impossible to say any officer specifically caused Bronstein’s death. Hochman said the officers had no intent to harm the man and were following orders of a superior officer.
“We looked at each officer, what they knew, what their state of mind was at the time. Understanding that there was both a sergeant there and a nurse, who was in charge of not only taking the blood draw but obviously doing it in a safe manner, and then deciding whether or not we could meet the legal standard of involuntary manslaughter for each officer,” he said.
Edward Tapia, the father of Edward Bronstein, speaks at a news conference about his son, a 38-year-old Burbank man who died while being restrained by California Highway Patrol officers in 2020 after refusing to have his blood drawn after a traffic stop. The family received a $24-million civil rights settlement in 2023 after filing a lawsuit against the state.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Bronstein’s killing was one of three cases in which Hochman assigned new prosecutors in the months before a trial started or a plea deal was reached. Aside from the Bronstein case, the others ended in an acquittal or a hung jury. All three prosecutors who were removed from the unit that handles police misconduct cases had either been appointed by Gascón or had a political connection to the former district attorney.
“When somebody’s lived that case for years, and then you take them off, it suggests that you’re less than serious about winning that case,” said Apt, the former prosecutor on the Bronstein case.
Hochman said he was simply bringing in staff with more trial experience on each case, insisting politics had nothing to do with the transfers. One of the cases, which involved allegations of perjury against L.A. County sheriff’s deputies Jonathan Miramontes and Woodrow Kim, ended with a lightning fast acquittal. Records show jurors deliberated less than an hour before coming back with a not guilty verdict.
In the other case, Hochman’s staff came closer to convicting a cop for an on-duty shooting than anyone else has in L.A. County in a quarter-century.
Former Whittier police officers Salvador Murillo, left, and Cynthia Lopez during their arraignment at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles. Murillo was charged in a 2020 shooting that left an unarmed man paralyzed. Murillo’s trial ended with a deadlocked jury in November 2025.
(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
Former Whittier Det. Salvador Murillo stood trial in November for shooting an unarmed man in the back as he fled down an alley in 2023. Nicholas Carrillo ran away on foot from a vehicle stop and was leaping over a fence — unarmed — when Murillo squeezed off four rounds. Two severed Carillo’s spine, paralyzing him.
The jury came back deadlocked, although a majority of the panel was leaning toward a conviction. Hochman said it is likely he will ask prosecutors to take Murillo to trial a second time, though a final decision has not been made.
This year, Hochman will have to weigh in on a pair of politically charged police killings.
The Department of Homeland Security said the off-duty ICE agent was responding to an “active shooter.” Porter’s family has said he was firing a rifle into the air as a celebration to ring in the new year.
Melina Abdullah, the co-founder of Black Lives Matter L.A., was part of a group that met with Hochman about Porter’s killing and other cases last month in South L.A.
She described the encounter as confrontational — and a disaster.
“I don’t know how we can expect any safety and accountability with this man in office,” Abdullah said.
Hochman must also decide how to proceed with the case of Clifford Proctor, a former LAPD officer charged for shooting an unarmed homeless man in the back in 2015.
Proctor left the LAPD in 2017 and was not indicted on murder charges until 2024. Gascón reopened the case in 2021, after prosecutors previously declined to file charges.
Hochman has not said if he intends to take Proctor to trial.
Hochman said that while he knows cases of police violence drive emotional reactions, he has to constrain himself to a cold analysis of the facts in front of him.
Reflecting on his confrontational meeting with Black Lives Matter activists, which centered on his recent move to dismiss charges in the 2018 killing of Christopher Deandre Mitchell by Torrance police officers, Hochman said he can’t pursue cases just because people are upset.
“They couldn’t point out anything in that analysis that they disagreed with,” he said. “Other than the result.”
Police say 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar killed her mother and stepbrother before carrying out mass shooting in BC.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said he will shortly visit the remote British Columbia town of Tumbler Ridge, where nine people died in one of the country’s worst mass shootings, according to his office.
Police say 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, who had suffered mental health problems, killed her mother and stepbrother on Tuesday before shooting a teacher and five young students at the local school.
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Van Rootselaar, who police say was born a male but began identifying as a woman six years ago, then died by suicide.
“The Prime Minister will be visiting Tumbler Ridge shortly in support of the community … [we are] working closely with the community and local authorities to finalise details based on their own immediate needs,” Carney’s office said on Thursday in a brief statement, which gave no details.
Across Tumbler Ridge, a town of about 2,400 in the Canadian Rockies, flowers and stuffed animals could be seen at unofficial public memorials.
“Hold your kids tight, tell them you love them every day. You never know,” a tearful Lance Young, father of 12-year-old victim Kylie Smith, told reporters on Wednesday.
Carney announced on Wednesday that Canadian flags will be flown at half-staff for seven days on federal buildings following the mass school shooting.
Honouring the victims
Police, who say they still do not have a motive, held a meeting with provincial officials late on Wednesday.
“They are working very hard – they recognise the public does need to hear information to fill that vacuum,” local provincial legislator Larry Neufeld told CBC News on Thursday.
Police said they had visited Van Rootselaar’s house on several occasions to address mental health issues and had twice taken her away for formal assessments.
British Columbia Premier David Eby said on Wednesday he had reached out to local health officials to ask for more details of the interactions.
At one point, police seized guns from the house but returned them after the owner, whose identity they did not disclose, successfully appealed the decision.
British Columbia on Thursday observed an official day of mourning. Provincial Lieutenant-Governor Wendy Cocchia, the personal representative of King Charles, Canada’s head of state, is scheduled to deliver a speech in the legislature to honour the victims.
In Toronto, the iconic CN Tower went dark at the top of every hour on Wednesday to honour the victims of the tragedy.
“Tonight the #CNTower will dim for 5 minutes at the top of each hour in honour of the victims of the attack in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia,” the CN Tower’s official social media account posted on Wednesday.
Pal Lonseth, chief of the specialised Okokrim economic crimes unit, says Jagland suspected of ‘aggravated corruption’.
Published On 12 Feb 202612 Feb 2026
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Norwegian police say that they had conducted searches of properties owned by former Prime Minister Thorbjorn Jagland as part of a corruption investigation into his connections with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The probe was initiated after documents released by the US Department of Justice in January indicated that Jagland and/or members of his family may have stayed at or vacationed at Epstein’s residences between 2011 and 2018, the AFP news agency reported.
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Norwegian television footage showed investigators carrying several boxes from Jagland’s apartment in Oslo during the searches on Thursday.
Jagland, 74, served as Norway’s prime minister from 1996 to 1997 and during the period mentioned in the files, he was serving as chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee and as secretary-general of the Council of Europe.
In the documents released by the US Justice Department, Epstein referred to him as “the Nobel big shot”, the AFP news agency reported.
Pal Lonseth, chief of the specialised Okokrim economic crimes unit, said that Jagland’s residence in Oslo had been searched and that he was now formally suspected of “aggravated corruption”.
His lawyer, Anders Brosveet, confirmed the searches and stated that they were standard procedure in these types of investigations.
“Jagland wishes to contribute to ensuring that the case is thoroughly clarified, and the next step is that he will appear for questioning by Okokrim – as he himself has stated he wants,” Brosveet said.
The raids were enabled by the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers by waiving Jagland’s diplomatic immunity on Wednesday, following a request from Norwegian authorities. Police told the council in the request that they are investigating whether the benefits Jagland may have received could amount to “passive bribery”.
Okokrim cited repeated instances, between 2011 and 2018, when Jagland and/or members of his family made use of Epstein’s apartments in Paris and New York, as well as stays at his property in Palm Beach, Florida.
“For at least one of these private vacations, travel expenses for six adults appear to have been covered by Mr. Epstein,” Okokrim wrote.
After previously maintaining that his ties with Epstein were part of normal diplomatic activities, Jagland told the newspaper Aftenposten this month that he had shown “poor judgement”.
The South Korean National Police Agency headquarters in Seoul. Photo by Asia Today
Feb. 11 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s National Police Agency is moving to dismantle a metropolitan-level intelligence structure created under the previous administration and restore intelligence units at local police stations, prompting renewed concerns about broad surveillance of civilians and “dragnet” information gathering.
Critics said the plan clashes with the broader push to reform powerful state institutions, particularly after South Korea abolished the National Intelligence Service’s domestic intelligence functions. Civic groups urged stronger outside oversight and called for curbs on police intelligence work.
Concerns intensified after the police agency said Monday it plans to replace the bottom 15% of officers in performance evaluations for intelligence police. Some officers said the policy could encourage quantity-driven reporting rather than careful, limited collection.
“If the volume of intelligence becomes the basis for evaluation, there will be pressure to put even wide-ranging trends into reports,” an intelligence officer said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Police station intelligence units have historically tracked local “trends” across political and social fields, with some critics alleging they expanded monitoring to civic groups and individuals. Past controversies over civilian surveillance helped drive efforts to reduce the size and role of intelligence police, with many station-level units later disbanded or scaled back and reorganized into a metropolitan system.
The National Police Agency has argued that strengthening foreign affairs and intelligence functions is needed to combat transnational crime, citing incidents such as the “Cambodia case” last year. Late last year, the National Police Commission approved a plan to revert metropolitan intelligence teams back to police station intelligence units.
Officers said the change could also strengthen the influence of station chiefs, who under the metropolitan system did not directly oversee intelligence officers assigned to provincial police agencies. With station-level units returning, officers said some chiefs could effectively regain their own internal intelligence teams.
The Police Reform Network, a coalition that includes the People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, said in a statement Tuesday that authorities must clearly explain how standards, reporting and management systems would change if station-level intelligence units are restored.
A National Police Agency official said safeguards are already in place following a 2021 reform, including rules defining the scope of intelligence activities under presidential decree and potential criminal penalties for violating political neutrality obligations.
The official said compliance officers conduct routine inspections and training and described the performance-based personnel pool as a measure aimed at screening out individuals deemed problematic in the past.
EMMERDALE actress Lisa Riley said Robin Windsor’s “glow had gone” after he was dropped from Strictly, an inquest heard.
The professional dancer, 44, was found dead in a hotel room in Shepherd’s Bush, West London, in February 2024.
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Robin Windsor was found dead in a hotel roomCredit: GettyHis dance partner Lisa Riley told how he ‘lost his glow’Credit: PA
An inquest heard Windsor left a suicide note saying the way he was treated by the BBC “destroyed me”.
The pro added: “It started me on the road I’m still on.
“All I wanted from life was to be happy.
“I loved my job more than anyone else.”
Riley was Windsor’s dance partner in the penultimate series he appeared on in 2012.
After being paired with Windsor, Riley said they were “joined at the hip”.
“To say we hit it off was an understatement,” the actress said in a written witness statement read to West London Coroner’s Court on Wednesday.
“I had only just lost my mum in the July. I, myself, was in a very difficult place.
“Robin was my rock.”
The Latin and ballroom dancer joined Strictly in 2010 and danced with actresses Patsy Kensit, Anita Dobson and Riley, and Dragon’s Den’s Deborah Meaden in four series until 2013.
Robin said the decision to axe him from Strictly ‘destroyed me’Credit: PA
He could not perform in the 2014 series because of a back injury and was dropped in 2015, but still appeared in the Christmas special that year, dancing alongside TV presenter Alison Hammond.
“It was from this moment, on to the time of his death, he kept slipping deeper and deeper into depression,” Riley said.
“His glow had gone.”
The actress recalled how she and Windsor had built up an “incredible trust” and remained friends.
“He literally told me everything,” she said.
“I trusted him and he trusted me.
“There were many, many happy times to begin with and together we did have so much fun.”
Riley said Windsor told her of times of “never feeling good enough” and “imposter syndrome”.
“Robin was and always has been very influenced by other men,” she added.
“It became a standing joke that he fell in love after three days.”
Riley said Windsor was insecure about his body and took steroids which, combined with alcohol, would put him in a bad place, jurors heard.
The court was also told how he was “drowning in debts” and “frantically” spent on designer items he could not afford.
Riley added: “Money problems also played a part of his darker days.”
She said her last contact with Windsor was around Christmas 2023, when they texted after Riley saw him share a “really dark” post on Facebook.
Riley continued: “I of course text him straight away and he replied saying he was ‘fine, just usual ups and downs of life’.”
The inquest also heard Robin was “obsessed” with watching Strictly prior to his death.
His panto co-star Terry Gleed said Robin spent his free time during rehearsals watching the show.
How to get help
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
The star added: “I could feel that he really wanted to be there more than where we were. He missed it dearly.”
The court heard Robin had suffered a back injury in late 2013 which resulted in him needing surgery to remove a disc.
He missed the 2014 series while he recovered.
Next year telly bosses chose not to renew his contract.
Pal Kristina Rihanoff, 48, told the hearing yesterday she was “extremely upset” after learning Robin had not been asked back for the 13th series.
She added “the psychological impact was very severe” because he “couldn’t do what he loved” due to his back pain.
Kristina described it as “heartbreaking” to see him “deeply sad, subdued and burdened”.
The inquest continues.
If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123.
Kristina Rihanoff revealed how Robin ‘changed significantly’ following his injuryCredit: Alamy
Anti-government protesters in Albania hurled petrol bombs and fireworks at police, who responded with tear gas and water cannons during demonstrations in the capital Tirana.
Feb. 10 (UPI) —Buckingham Palace said the royal household stood ready to fully cooperate with police weighing an investigation into links between the former Prince Andrew, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, and the late Jeffrey Epstein.
“The King has made clear, in words and through unprecedented actions, his profound concern at allegations which continue to come to light in respect of Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s conduct,” a spokesman for the palace said late Monday.
“While the specific claims in question are for Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor to address, if we are approached by Thames Valley Police we stand ready to support them as you would expect,” he said.
King Charles’ intervention came hours after Thames Valley Police said it was determining whether to act on a complaint by Republic, a group that campaigns for the abolition of the monarchy, accusing Andrew of misconduct in public office and breach of official secrets laws while he was serving as Britain’s trade envoy in 2010.
Republic lodged the complaint on Monday after emails from the latest tranche of Epstein files to be released appeared to show Andrew forwarding Epstein official reports possibly containing commercially privileged information from an October 2010 trip to Singapore, Hong Kong and Vietnam, including confidential information about investment opportunities.
Andrew emailed the reports to Epstein less than five minutes after receiving them himself from his assistant on Nov. 30 with the subject line “South East Asia Visit Reports,” U.S. Department of Justice files obtained by the BBC show.
“We can confirm receipt of this report and are assessing the information in line with our established procedures,” said a Thames Valley police department spokesman.
The alleged incident was just before Andrew has claimed he broke off his relationship with Epstein in early December 2010 but the emails appear to indicate this was not the case as he forwarded Epstein another confidential email on Dec. 24 detailing business opportunities in the rebuilding of Afghanistan‘s war-torn Helmand Province, the region for which Britain was responsible during the war.
The terms under which trade envoys are appointed state that the envoy must not share sensitive, commercial, or political information they are party to with unauthorized persons, that they are bound by the Official Secrets Act and have a duty to keep sensitive documents secure.
“The role of a Trade Envoy carries with it a duty of confidentiality in relation to information received. This may include sensitive, commercial, or political information shared about relevant markets/visits. This duty of confidentiality will continue to apply after the expiry of their term of office. In addition, the Official Secrets Acts 1911 and 1989 will apply,” the document states.
“Trade Envoys are responsible for the protection of any documents they have been provided which might contain sensitive data and ensuring that they are carried, stored, and disposed of in an appropriate manner,” it adds.
Andrew has long denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, including allegations made by the late Virginia Giuffre, but has remained silent over the most recent slew of allegations.
in 2022, he settled a lawsuit alleging sexual assault brought by Guiffre out of court with an undisclosed payment believed to run to eight figures.
Earlier Monday, Prince William and Princess Catherine broke their silence on the scandal, issuing a statement expressing “deep concern” over the latest revelations being unearthed from the Epstein files.
However, the statement stressed that they “focused on the victims” and made no mention of Andrew, who is William’s uncle.
The King has been heckled by members of the public about his brother twice in recent days as he goes about his official duties, most recently on a trip to Lancashire on Monday.
Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks during a press conference at the Department of Justice Headquarters on Friday. Justice Department officials have announced that the FBI has arrested Zubayr al-Bakoush, a suspect in the 2012 attack on the U.S. Embassy in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
PREMIER Inn has opened a new hotel in London – although you wouldn’t know from the outside.
The hub by Premier Inn London Farringdon (Old Bailey) has turned an old Victorian police station into the famous hotel.
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City Of London Book To Be Published By Thames And HudsonCredit: AlamySome of the old features are alongside the new buildingCredit: Chris DaltonThe rooms look just like the standard ones in Premier Inn hotelsCredit: premierinn.com
Dating back to the 1870s, Snow Hill Police Station is a Garde II listed building.
Whitbread – the owner of Premier Inn, bought the building back in 2020, with it now open to the public as a hotel.
Many of the original features such as the historic entrance way, as well as a grand atrium combining the new and old buildings.
A mix of “heritage bedrooms” as well as the classic hub rooms are part of the hotel too, with 212 rooms across eight stories.
Along with free WiFi and accessible rooms, there is also a restaurant onsite for breakfast and dinner.
Jonathan Langdon, Senior Acquisition Manager for Whitbread, said it showed how “affordable hotels like hub by Premier Inn can breathe fresh life into vacant historic buildings in Central London”
Tom Sleigh, Chairman of the Planning and Transportation Committee at the City of London Corporation, added: “The transformation of the former Snow Hill Police Station into a modern, affordable hotel shows how heritage and planning innovation can work hand in hand, an excellent example of how thoughtful, high-quality design can bring new life to one of the City’s historic buildings.”
Some of the cheapest rooms on the website can be found for around £105 a night.
The hotel is also in the hear of the city, bring right by Farringdon train station.
Nearby is St Paul’s Cathedral as well as the London Museum.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who is to meet Herzog later on Tuesday, said he was “devastated” by the scenes, saying they “shouldn’t be taking place,” but defended the invitation to Herzog and said protesters “undermined” their cause at the protest.
British police are assessing a complaint that the former prince sent confidential trade reports to convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Buckingham Palace says King Charles III will “support” UK police assessing reports that the former Prince Andrew gave confidential information to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The statement on Monday came after police said they were examining reports that the former prince, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, sent trade reports to Epstein in 2010.
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Thames Valley Police, which serves areas west of London, including the ex-royal’s former home in Windsor, launched the inquiry after news organisations reported on emails that suggest the then-prince sent Epstein reports from a 2010 tour of Southeast Asia he took as Britain’s envoy for international trade.
“The King has made clear, in words and through unprecedented actions, his profound concern at allegations which continue to come to light in respect of Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor’s conduct,” the palace said in a statement.
“While the specific claims in question are for Mr Mountbatten-Windsor to address, if we are approached by Thames Valley Police we stand ready to support them as you would expect.”
Thames Valley Police confirmed earlier on Monday that it has launched an inquiry following a complaint from an anti-monarchy campaigner.
“We can confirm receipt of this report and are assessing the information in line with our established procedures,” the police force said in a statement.
Correspondence unearthed in recent days appears to show that Mountbatten-Windsor forwarded copies of his reports from a 2010 tour of Southeast Asia to Epstein soon after he returned to Britain.
An earlier email appears to show the ex-prince sharing his itinerary for the two-week trip to Hanoi, Saigon, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong with Epstein.
Thames Valley Police began its inquiry after Graham Smith, chief executive of the anti-monarchy group Republic, reported Mountbatten-Windsor for suspected abuse of public office and violations of Britain’s Official Secrets Act.
The former prince, 65, has faced years of scrutiny over his friendship with Epstein, a relationship that has cost him his role in the royal family, titles and home. Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing, and has not responded to requests for comment since the latest release of Epstein files.
Reporting from London, Al Jazeera’s Milena Veselinovic said Mountbatten-Windsor was acting as the United Kingdom’s international trade envoy when the claims were made that he sent sensitive information to Epstein.
“This [allegedly] includes a confidential memo about investment in the Helmand province in Afghanistan, which was being financed at that time by the UK taxpayer,” she explained.
Royal family faces jeopardy
The British royal family continued its effort to insulate itself from the scandal on Monday, as Prince William and Princess Catherine issued their first statement about the latest batch of Epstein files.
“I can confirm that the Prince and Princess of Wales have been deeply concerned by the continued revelations,’’ a spokesperson said as William travelled to Saudi Arabia for an official visit. “Their thoughts remain focused on the victims.”
The jeopardy faced by the royal family could be seen on Monday when King Charles visited Lancashire, in northwest England. While most of the public clapped, cheered and waved British flags, one person shouted, “How long have you known about Andrew?”
Last week, King Charles forced Mountbatten-Windsor to leave his longtime home at Royal Lodge near Windsor Castle, accelerating a move that was first announced in October but was not expected to be completed until later this year.
The former royal is now living temporarily at Wood Farm Cottage on the king’s Sandringham Estate in eastern England. He is then expected to move into a more permanent home, which is currently undergoing renovations.