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An alleged victim of Jeffrey Epstein has said that she stands by her claims that the late paedophile financier kept sex tapes of Prince Andrew, Bill Clinton and Sir Richard Branson – and is willing to testify under oath.
Sarah Ransome made the bombshell claims – which all three men deny – to a reporter in 2016, according to newly unsealed court documents filed by a firm representing Epstein’s lawyer Alan Dershowitz in 2017, who sought to undermine Ms Ransome’s credibility.
Prince Andrew, Mr Clinton and Sir Richard all deny the allegations, with a spokesperson for the latter’s Virgin Group saying: “Any suggestion that Sir Richard Branson was involved in a ‘sex tape’ is entirely false. The allegations are baseless and unfounded. The actions of Jeffrey Epstein were abhorrent and we support the right to justice for the many victims impacted by his abuse.”
Sarah Ransome told ITV’s Good Morning Britain that she would be willing to testify under oath
(screengrab)
They added: “We categorically reject all allegations made by Sarah Ransome. In 2019 she admitted to The New Yorker that the ‘tapes’ had been ‘invented’.”
Mr Clinton’s spokesperson also directed The Independent to the 2019 New Yorker article, which reported Ms Ransome as saying “she had invented the tapes to draw attention to Epstein’s behaviour”, and to make him believe that she had “evidence that would come out if he harmed me”
But Ms Ransome alleged on Tuesday that her retraction had been in response to threats that she and her family “would be harmed”.
“There are videos that exist and the people that know they exist,” Ms Ransome told ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Tuesday, adding: “I’m sure they are very frightened of them being released.”
Asked how she knew there were cameras on the island, she replied: “It’s no secret that everything was recorded. Multiple victims have come forward confirming my account, along with others.
“I’ve also seen recordings in his [Epstein’s] office.”
Pressed on why she had backtracked on the allegations previously, Ms Ransome said: “In the time I was with Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell amongst others regularly enforced that if I ever did come forward, myself and my family would be harmed.”
Sarah Ransome gave a victim impact statement ahead of Ghislaine Maxwell’s sentencing for sex trafficking
(Gabriele Holtermann/PA)
Ms Ransome, the South Africa-born grandaughter of Scottish lord Gordon MacPherson, first became entagled with Epstein when she moved to New York in 2006 at the age of 22, and has alleged being used as “nothing more than a sex toy with a heartbeat and soul” by the disgraced financier and his associates.
She claims to have been “raped three times a day” on Epstein’s private island, and to have twice attempted suicide after being abused by the financier.
Her claims in 2016 about the existence of sex tapes involving a friend of hers were included in hundreds of newly unsealed documents which formed part of a civil claim by Andrew’s accuser Virginia Giuffre against Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, which was settled in 2017.
Jeffrey Epstein lived the high-life from his accumulated wealth with his ex-partner Ghislaine Maxwell
(US District Court for the Southe)
Despite attempts by her defence counsel to have her released on bail, Maxwell has been imprisoned since July 2020 after being sentenced in New York in 2022 to 20 years in prison for sex trafficking. Ms Ransome gave a victim impact statement ahead of the sentencing.
The British socialite has indicated her desire to appeal, with her lawyers claiming victims had “faded, distorted and motivated memories”. Her appeal is scheduled to be heard next November.
Epstein was found dead in his cell at a federal jail in Manhattan, New York, in August 2019 while he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide.