Sarah Ransome was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and is the granddaughter of a British baron. She spent her early childhood in South Africa before moving to the United Kingdom, where she attended boarding school.
Ransome has openly discussed experiencing significant trauma during her youth, including being sexually assaulted at age 11, which she described as leaving her with feelings of self-blame and vulnerability. She later faced additional hardships, such as a rape by a high school classmate, developing an alcohol dependency, and enduring an abusive relationship.
These experiences, she later reflected, made her particularly susceptible to manipulation as a young adult. After leaving the Scottish Highlands, Ransome relocated to Manhattan, New York, in 2006 at age 22, aspiring to study fashion at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT).
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Sarah Ransome (also referred to as Sarah Emma Ashley Ransome in some records) |
| Birth Year | 1984 |
| Age (as of early 2026) | Approximately 41–42 years old |
| Place of Birth | Johannesburg, South Africa |
| Nationality / Background | South African-born; British descent (granddaughter of a British baron, Lord Gordon Macpherson); holds British ties and has lived in the UK and US |
| Early Life | Raised primarily in South Africa by a single mother; experienced childhood sexual assault at age 11 and later traumas including rape, alcohol dependency, and abusive relationships |
| Move to US | Relocated to Manhattan, New York City, in 2006 at age 22 to pursue fashion studies at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) |
| Relation to Jeffrey Epstein | Alleged victim of sex trafficking and abuse by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell; recruited in 2006 under promises of help with education/career; claims repeated sexual abuse and coercion on Little St. James island over ~9 months (2006–2007); attempted escape but was reportedly recaptured |
| Legal Actions | Filed civil lawsuit against Epstein and Maxwell in 2017 (settled out of court in 2018); additional claim against Epstein’s estate; referenced in unsealed “Epstein files” from Giuffre v. Maxwell case (some claims later partially retracted as exaggeration for “insurance”) |
| Public Advocacy | Vocal survivor advocate; appeared in media interviews (e.g., CBS, NPR, The View); published memoir Silenced No More: Surviving My Journey to Hell and Back (2021) |
| Current Residence (recent reports) | Lives in a small village in England (earlier reports mentioned Scotland/UK; some 2026 updates note Friesland, Netherlands area) |
| Other Notable | Dated a senior JPMorgan employee during/after the period (alleged he knew of abuse); focused on healing, advocacy, and empowering other survivors |
Sarah Ransome Encounter with Jeffrey Epstein and Alleged Abuse
Shortly after arriving in New York, Ransome met a young woman at a nightclub who introduced her to Jeffrey Epstein, a financier later convicted of sex offences.
Epstein allegedly promised to help her gain admission to FIT and cover her tuition, but these offers came with conditions, including a strict diet to lose weight. According to Ransome, this quickly escalated into a coercive relationship. She claims she was trafficked to Epstein’s private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands (Little St. James, often referred to as “Pedophile Island” by survivors), where she was subjected to repeated sexual abuse and rape by Epstein over nine months in 2006–2007.
She described being trapped in a cycle of control, with Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell allegedly using threats, isolation, and promises to maintain power over her. Ransome has called Maxwell Epstein’s “chief orchestrator,” accusing her of recruiting young women, overseeing their exploitation, and concealing activities from authorities.
Ransome alleges the abuse caused severe physical and emotional distress, including kidney pain, exhaustion, and headaches from the enforced diet. She attempted to escape by swimming away from the island but was reportedly recaptured and threatened.
Despite eventually leaving after nine months, she returned to the island on several occasions, which she attributes to the psychological hold Epstein and Maxwell had over her. During this time, Ransome dated a senior JPMorgan Chase employee from 2007 to 2008, who she claims knew about the abuse, encouraged her weight loss for Epstein’s demands, and warned her against reporting it to police, citing potential repercussions.
Legal Actions and Public Advocacy
In 2017, Sarah Ransome joined a civil lawsuit against Epstein and Maxwell, alleging sex trafficking and abuse. The suit was settled out of court in 2018 for an undisclosed amount, with no admission of wrongdoing by the defendants. Following Epstein’s death in custody in 2019 (which Ransome and others have questioned as a suicide), she filed a claim against his estate in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Ransome has since become one of the most vocal public accusers, appearing in interviews on programs like NPR, ABC’s “The View,” CBS News, and ITV’s “Good Morning Britain.”
In 2021, she published her memoir, Silenced No More: Surviving My Journey to Hell and Back, which chronicles her childhood traumas, the abuse she endured, and her path to recovery. The book serves as her “day in court,” aiming to shed light on how early vulnerabilities can lead to exploitation and to empower other survivors.
Ransome reacted publicly to Maxwell’s 2022 conviction on sex trafficking charges, expressing relief but emphasizing the ongoing fight for justice. She now lives in a small village in England, focusing on healing and advocacy.
Relation to the Epstein Files
Ransome’s allegations are intertwined with the broader Epstein scandal, particularly the unsealed court documents from the 2015 defamation lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre against Ghislaine Maxwell (often referred to as the “Epstein files”).
These documents, released in batches starting in 2019 and continuing into 2024, include references to Sarah Ransome as a victim and accuser. In the fourth batch unsealed in January 2024, emails from Ransome claimed she had seen sex tapes in Epstein’s possession involving high-profile figures like Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, and Richard Branson.
However, she later retracted these specific claims in a 2019 New Yorker article, admitting to fabricating them as a form of “insurance” against threats. In subsequent interviews, she clarified that she believed such videos existed but stood by her overall allegations of abuse.
Her story has been discussed in Maxwell’s criminal trial (though she was not a witness), and her memoir and interviews have been cited in media coverage of the files, contributing to the public understanding of Epstein’s network of exploitation.
Sarah Ransome’s experiences highlight the role of recruiters and enablers in Epstein’s operations, as documented in the unsealed materials.