A victim of Jeffrey Epstein claimed sex tapes were taken of the Duke of York, former US president Bill Clinton and billionaire businessman Sir Richard Branson, court documents have disclosed.

Sarah Ransome, who gave a victim impact statement ahead of the sentencing of British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell for sex-trafficking, appeared to write communications claiming the three were filmed by the paedophile financier.

The extracts were flagged by a firm representing Epstein’s lawyer, Alan Dershowitz, to demonstrate Ms Ransome “manifestly lacks credibility”.

Andrew stepped down from public life after the furore over his friendship with Epstein, and paid millions to settle a civil sexual assault case with Virginia Giuffre, a woman he claimed never to have met.

He was cast out of the working monarchy and no longer uses his HRH style after Ms Giuffre, who was trafficked by Epstein, accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17.

The duke strenuously denies any wrongdoing.

A US judge ordered hundreds of documents to be unsealed as part of Ms Giuffre’s previously settled civil claim against Maxwell, which was filed in 2015.

In the document released as part of another tranche published on Monday, Ms Ransome wrote: “When my friend had sexual intercourse with Clinton, Prince Andrew and Richard Branson, sex tapes were in fact filmed on each separate occasion by Jeffrey.

“Thank God she managed to get a hold of some footage of the filmed sex tapes, which clearly identify the faces of Clinton, Prince Andrew and Branson having sexual intercourse with her.

“Frustratingly enough Epstein was not seen in any of the footage but he was clever like that!

“When my friend eventually had the courage to speak out and went to the police in 2008 to report what had happened, nothing was done and she was utterly humiliated by the police department where she went to report what had happened with Epstein, Clinton, Branson and Prince Andrew.”

In the letter from Emery Celli Brinckerhoff & Abady LLP to the court, the firm said allegations against Mr Dershowitz were categorically false.

The firm said: “Her (Ms Ransome) testimony was fabricated from whole cloth. Ms Ransome’s testimony also contains a slew of other incendiary claims concerning the sexual proclivities of Donald Trump, Bill Clinton and other prominent individuals.

“The emails are a necessary antidote to Ms Ransome’s deposition misstatements because they demonstrate she manifestly lacks credibility.”