{"text":[[{"start":8.65,"text":"Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, younger brother of King Charles, has asked a UK court to rule unlawful the warrants police obtained to search two properties following his arrest in February."}],[{"start":20.950000000000003,"text":"Mountbatten-Windsor is seeking a judicial review of warrants obtained by Thames Valley Police ahead of his arrest on February 18 on suspicion of misconduct in public office following revelations in the Epstein files."}],[{"start":34.25,"text":"The challenge to the warrants, confirmed on Monday, was first reported by the Daily Telegraph."}],[{"start":40.1,"text":"Thames Valley Police, the force undertaking the investigation, said on Monday: “Whilst our investigation into misconduct in public office continues, we are engaged in legal proceedings in relation to warrants previously obtained from the Central Criminal Court.”"}],[{"start":54.5,"text":"The Judicial Office confirmed that a private hearing in Mountbatten-Windsor’s legal claim was due to take place on Thursday afternoon at the High Court in London to be heard by Mr Justice Hilliard."}],[{"start":66.4,"text":"Thames Valley Police is attempting to restrict access to court documents."}],[{"start":71.95,"text":"Mountbatten-Windsor’s legal action is against both the police force and the Central Criminal Court, also known as the Old Bailey, according to a police official."}],[{"start":81.25,"text":"The court previously issued search warrants to Thames Valley Police authority to search Mountbatten-Windsor’s home on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk and his former home at Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park following his arrest in February. It was the first arrest of a member of the British royal family on a criminal warrant since Charles I following the English civil war."}],[{"start":101.95,"text":"Mountbatten-Windsor did not immediately respond to a request on Sunday evening to comment."}],[{"start":107.3,"text":"Thames Valley Police launched an investigation into Mountbatten-Windsor’s conduct following revelations in the US Department of Justice’s Epstein files about his conduct while an unpaid special representative for UK Trade and Investment between 2001 and 2011."}],[{"start":124.3,"text":"Communications in the files between Mountbatten-Windsor and Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender, show that the then-prince advocated for Epstein on a state visit to the United Arab Emirates with the late Queen Elizabeth in 2010."}],[{"start":137.7,"text":"They also showed he sought to broker an $8bn loan between China and the UAE before the start of an official visit to China later the same year. They showed that he had shared confidential information acquired as a result of his trade role with Epstein and his associates."}],[{"start":154.54999999999998,"text":"Epstein was found dead in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on child sex charges. He was previously convicted in 2008 of soliciting sex from an underage girl."}],[{"start":166.64999999999998,"text":"Andrew Gilmore, a partner at Grosvenor Law, who is not involved in the case, said that, given the close public scrutiny the case had received, it would be “very surprising” if the police had not made every effort to ensure that the search warrants were properly obtained and lawful."}],[{"start":184.14999999999998,"text":"He added: “In addition, their application would have been fully scrutinised by the High Court judge who granted the warrants.”"}],[{"start":191.45,"text":"Nick Vamos, a partner at Peters & Peters and a former head of special crime at the Crown Prosecution Service, said that, even if Mountbatten-Windsor succeeded in quashing the original granting of the search warrants, the seized material may still be used."}],[{"start":206.95,"text":"He said: “The police can apply back to the Crown Court to retain the material if they have grounds to immediately seize it again. So, even if there was some technical flaw with the original warrants, if that can be remedied then the Crown Court may simply allow the police to keep hold of all the material anyway.”"}],[{"start":231.5,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1791264134_4738.mp3"}