Free thinking. Straight talking. Explore more opinion from the nation’s leading comment writers. | | A public storage unit in Delray Beach, Florida, used by Jeffrey Epstein | | Poppy Wood, Neil Johnston and Hayley Dixon | Did Jeffrey Epstein blackmail his high-flying friends? The question has been circulating since details of the paedophile’s suspected sex-trafficking ring emerged more than two decades ago.
The FBI insisted in a statement last year that it found no evidence that Epstein was producing kompromat on his famous associates.
However, earlier this month The Telegraph revealed that Epstein had ordered his staff to install covert cameras in his property in Palm Beach.
Now, we can disclose that Epstein also paid private detectives to remove personal computers and photos to be stored in a secret storage locker. | Epstein kept fastidious records. CDs and other material were found in his Palm Beach locker | The Telegraph has found evidence that Epstein rented at least six self-storage lock-ups, with the leases spanning a 16-year period, up to his death in 2019.
It includes one in Palm Beach, where he paid the Riley Kiraly detective agency to store computers that they had removed from his home before a police search.
Detectives have long suspected that the billionaire was tipped off ahead of the first raid on his Florida property in 2005, with one police chief saying the house seemed “cleaned up”.
The revelations around the secret storage lockers may provide answers to that puzzle.
| Manhattan Mini Storage appears not to have known it was being used by Epstein. In 2022, the company launched an advertising campaign mocking the former prince | The Telegraph has found no evidence that the FBI ever searched these storage units, and the intelligence agency declined to comment.
It raises the possibility that kompromat may indeed exist after all — but could have remained undiscovered by authorities all this time.
Read the full story ➤
How Epstein used London’s reputation-laundering industry to cover up his crimes ➤
Plus, Police reopen investigation into Epstein flights but evidence ‘has been destroyed’ ➤ | | Robert Aramayo won the Bafta awards for Leading Actor and Rising Star |  | Robbie Collin Chief Film Critic | There has been much grumbling of late that the Bafta Film Awards have trapped themselves between two stools. Should they rally behind Britain’s film industry, like France’s Césars or Spain’s Goyas, or try to second-guess the Oscars in a grab for international relevance? Well, on Sunday evening at London’s Royal Festival Hall, voters sent a decisive message with this year’s selection of winners: erm, can you give us another year or so to figure it out?
Yes, Best Film, the biggest honour, went to the very American satirical thriller One Battle After Another, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio and was written and directed by the Californian-to-his-bones Paul Thomas Anderson.
Yes, One Battle was also the overall champion, with five further wins down the running order: Best Director for Paul Thomas Anderson (long overdue), Best Supporting Actor for Sean Penn (over the considerably more fashionable likes of Jacob Elordi and Paul Mescal), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Editing. %20(1)%20(1).jpg) | | Prince William and Princess Catherine arriving at the Baftas | But, but, but: if you squinted, the remainder of the ceremony almost looked patriotic. The Best Actor race furnished us with the most dazzling case in point, after the French-American frontrunner, Timothée Chalamet, was unexpectedly bested by Hull’s own Robert Aramayo – who, minutes earlier, had also won in the Rising Star category, voted for by the general public.
Read Robbie’s full run-down of the evening here ➤
Bethan Holt: The Prince and Princess of Wales’s couple dressing reminds us of Royals at their glamorous best ➤ | | Tim Stanley Politics is the art of the possible. Restore Britain is a distraction Continue reading ➤ Ed Husain It’s time to take Trump’s Gaza plan seriously Continue reading ➤ Rowan Pelling Don’t judge Churchill too harshly if he did sanction pornography Continue reading ➤ | | To make sure you don’t miss our newsletters when they land in your inbox, click here. | | King’s Hall Methodist Church in Southall was damaged in the fire, which started yesterday evening | | Hooton Pagnell is expected to lose 232 acres of top-quality farmland with solar panels | | In Ed Miliband’s Doncaster North constituency, an aggressive green energy “land grab” threatens to bury 500-acre family farms and historic villages under tens of thousands of solar panels, writes Jonathan Leake, our Energy Editor. As the Energy Secretary pushes his net-zero agenda, furious locals are fighting the destruction of their countryside and driving a rural surge towards Reform UK. Continue reading ➤ | |  | | Roy Ridley and his partner Sandra pictured during a trip to Dartmoor | | I met my wife, Sandra, in an east-London curry house in 1977, writes Roy Ridley. For decades, we loved hosting dinner parties. However, when she died suddenly at 56, the invitations dried up. I realised our old friends were simply “takers”, leaving me so isolated I spent Christmas Eve hiding under my duvet. After I also lost Robert, my 44-year-old son, I knew I had to forge a new path to survive the loneliness. For subscribers only ➤ | | | | | Fay Bound-Alberti’s rare condition means she relies on scent and body language to identify even close family and friends | | The average person can recognise about 5,000 faces, but I was born with the rare condition of “face blindness”, writes Fay Bound-Alberti. Many of us may feel we’re “bad with faces”, but for me, it is a daily battle to identify not just acquaintances but even close family and friends. Instead, I have to take cues from a person’s body language, scent and even outfits. However, the question, to me, is not why some people can’t recognise faces, but why have we decided that this is the most important way to know someone? Continue reading ➤ | | | | | The proposed Strait of Messina Bridge would connect Sicily with mainland Italy and become the world’s longest single-span bridge | | Italy’s conservative government, led by Giorgia Meloni, hopes that building what would be the world’s longest suspension bridge to link the Italian mainland to Sicily at a cost of £11.8bn will help develop the country’s impoverished, dysfunctional south. The huge investment is a major test of Meloni’s leadership, writes Nick Squires, Rome Correspondent. It could turn out to be a transformational endeavour or an unpopular albatross – her very own HS2. Continue reading ➤ | | | | | Joan Burstein’s Studio 54 days may be behind her, but her 100th birthday will not be a quiet affair | | “Wear memories, that’s my motto,” says Joan Burstein, the queen – or should that be empress? – of much-loved fashion retailer Browns, writes Lisa Armstrong, Head of Fashion. Mrs B, as she’s affectionately known, celebrated her 100th birthday this weekend in Ibiza. I sat down with her before her celebrations to talk about her life and style. “Never try to be anything you’re not is my advice for anyone, especially as you get older.” Continue reading ➤ | | | Our reader bought some clothes from Canada Goose, tried them on once, and returned them immediately as they were too big, writes Ruth Emery, our consumer champion. The retailer rejected the return, claiming the items “smelt of hairspray” and had hair on them. There’s just one problem: our reader is bald. So, I investigated his wild goose chase for a refund. Continue reading ➤ | | | While statins are the preferred choice for reducing “bad” cholesterol, diet and lifestyle changes remain vital. Beyond avoiding pastries, pies and sweet treats, the scientifically proven “Portfolio” diet focuses on what you can add to your plate. Doctors have found this plan can lower cholesterol in only weeks. Here’s how it works. Continue reading ➤ Below are two more articles that I hope will improve your day: | Caption competition with... |  | Matt Pritchett Cartoonist | Hello,
This week you have a breaking news bulletin to caption.
Congratulations to Richard Layton on his romantic caption below. Anyone receiving such a card would surely be flattered. P.S. For an inside look at what inspires my weekly cartoons, you can sign up for my personal subscriber-exclusive newsletter here. | Bringing home the bacon While Orlando Bird, our loyal Reader Correspondent, is away, Joe Burgis is on hand to share an off-piste topic that has brought out the best of your opinions and stories. Joe writes...
Recently, a strange craving came over me. I longed for a bacon butty – a perfectly normal desire, you might think, but, in this case, I hankered after streaky rashers. Like Silvana Franco, I’d normally insist on middle or back bacon, but I fancied a change. I won’t be repeating the mistake.
Nonetheless, I was glad to find that I’m not alone in daring to experiment. Steve McConnell wrote: “I appreciate that this is heresy, but I like fried smoked bacon, which can be supermarket value brand, served in a couple of gently microwaved pittas, with a generous dollop of chilli sauce.” Thank you, Steve – it takes courage to admit that.
Douglas Brown’s claim was no less bold: “The killer condiment in a bacon sandwich is mango chutney. Take my word for it. It’s alchemy.”
The more conservative connoisseurs also made themselves heard: “I’m sorry,” Harry Finley wrote, “but mustard in a bacon butty sounds like a crime to me. Fine in a sausage sandwich, but not with bacon.”
Yes, on balance I agree with that. I was impressed by Andrew Shaw’s blend of innovation and tradition: “I love my butty with fried mushrooms, no sauce. Occasionally, I make it the old-fashioned way, like my mum and nana did. That’s using lard to cook the bacon, before soaking the fat into the bread, rather than having butter. The bread must be white. It’s a murderous occasional treat.” Well, that’s tonight’s dinner sorted. How do you take your bacon butty? Send your responses here and the best of the bunch will feature in a future edition of From the Editor PM, to which you can sign up here.
Please confirm in your reply that you are happy to be featured and that we have your permission to use your name. | | Find as many words as you can in today’s Panagram, including the nine-letter solution. Visit Telegraph Puzzles to play a range of head-scratching games, including PlusWord, Sorted, and Quick, Mini or Cryptic Crosswords.
Yesterday’s Panagram was MULTITUDE. Come back tomorrow for the solution to today’s puzzle. | | Please let me know what you think of this newsletter. You can email me your feedback here.
Thank you for reading. Have a fulfilling day and I hope to see you tomorrow. Chris Evans, Editor | |
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