Search warrants against ex-prince Andrew quashed over police legal error
Thames Valley Police admitted warrants used to search properties linked to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor were unlawfully issued. The investigation into the former prince remains ongoing.
Search warrants against ex-prince Andrew ruled unlawful, investigation continues
Thames Valley Police have conceded that warrants used to search properties linked to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor were unlawfully obtained and must be quashed, aljazeera.com reports. The force nonetheless confirmed its investigation into King Charles III's younger brother remains active.
High Court Justice Nicholas Hilliard said on Thursday that Thames Valley Police had made a "significant error" when applying for the warrants, and that the police themselves agreed "the search warrants were unlawful."
Hilliard was clear, however, that the ruling carried limits. "The fact that the search warrants were quashed does not bring an investigation to an end, or mean that the whole of the investigation was unlawful," he said.
In a statement, a Thames Valley Police spokesperson said: "We accept the position that the initial court's decision to issue warrants under the specific piece of legislation used was incorrect and therefore, these must be legally quashed."
The spokesperson added that legal proceedings remain ongoing to determine how material seized during the searches will be managed and whether police may lawfully retain it in support of their investigation.
Mountbatten-Windsor, 66, was arrested on his birthday in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office in connection with his ties to the late American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He was released the same day but remains under investigation. The disgraced former royal has denied any wrongdoing.
Police had searched his former residence in Windsor, west of London, and a property in Sandringham, eastern England. Mountbatten-Windsor subsequently mounted a legal challenge against the legality of the warrants.
At Thursday's High Court hearing in London, Judge Hilliard noted that Thames Valley Police are seeking to retain the seized material, a move Mountbatten-Windsor is contesting. That matter is not expected to be resolved until next year. The force said it has not returned any seized material to him other than items deemed unconnected to the investigation.
Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his royal titles last year following his documented connections to Epstein, who died in a New York prison in August 2019.
Source: Google News IE — Crime (en)