A woman who claimed to be the victim of an Asian grooming gang has been jailed for more than eight years for making false rape allegations.
Eleanor Williams, 22, was sentenced to eight and a half years in jail at Preston Crown Court on Tuesday, March 14, after a jury previously found her guilty of eight counts of doing acts tending and intended to pervert the course of justice.
The court heard statements from three of the men Williams had accused, in which they described attempting to take their own lives and receiving death threats from 'all over the world' because of what she accused them of.
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Williams, of Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, shared a post on Facebook in which she described being beaten, abused and trafficked by Asian men, the court heard. The post, published in May 2020 and shared more than 100,000 times, featured photos of her alleged injuries, which she had in fact caused herself with a hammer, the prosecution said.
Williams claimed that one man who she falsely accused of trafficking, Mohammed Ramzan, a 43-year-old business owner, had groomed her from the age of 12, put her to work in brothels in Amsterdam, and sold her at an auction there. But the court heard that at the time she was in the Netherlands, his bank card was being used at a B&Q in Barrow.
The defendant also gave police an account of being taken to Blackpool, where she said Mr Ramzan threatened her and she was taken to different addresses and forced to have sex with men. When police made inquiries, they found she had travelled to the seaside resort alone and stayed in a hotel, where she bought a Pot Noodle from a nearby shop and then remained in her room watching YouTube on her phone.
Mr Ramzan, who was in tears as he spoke from the witness box on Monday, said two weeks after he was arrested following Williams’ claims he attempted to take his own life. He said: “I still bear the scars to this day”, adding: “I have had countless death threats made over social media from people all over the world because of what they thought I was involved in.”
Jordan Trengove told the court that the word “rapist” had been spray painted across his house and his window was smashed after Williams accused him of raping and attacking her. He said he spent 73 days in prison, sharing a cell with a convicted sex offender, after he was charged as a result of her claims.
Oliver Gardner said his chance encounter with Williams in Preston led to him being sectioned under the Mental Health Act. Mr Gardner, who was accused of rape after he met Williams in the city centre, said it was a “real shock” when he was contacted by Cumbria Police and told of her claims. He said: “It was just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Williams was found guilty of eight counts of doing acts tending and intended to pervert the course of justice, and pleaded guilty to a ninth count at an earlier hearing. In his sentencing remarks Honorary Recorder of Preston Judge Robert Altham said: “It is troubling to say the least that she shows no significant signs of remorse.”
He said there was no explanation for why the defendant made the allegations, which he described as “complete fiction”. He added: “Unless and until the defendant chooses to say why she has told these lies we will not know.” Williams looked straight ahead and thanked the judge after he sentenced her.
Superintendent Matthew Pearman, of Cumbria Police, said Williams’ allegations led to “public displays of mass anger” in Barrow, with protests held outside the police station and on a retail park. Videos of English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson in the town were shown in court.
The court heard there were 151 extra crimes following the Facebook post, including 83 hate crimes. Deputy Chief Constable Mark Webster said in a statement some businesses had closed and members of the community had left their homes because of the outcry.
In a letter read to the court, Williams said she had not instigated anything which happened in the community and did not want Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, to come to the town. She said: “I do not agree with his views or opinions.”
In the letter to the judge, she said: “I’m not saying I’m guilty but I know I have done wrong on some of this and I’m sorry. I’m devastated at the trouble that has been caused in Barrow, if I knew what consequences would have come from that status I never would have posted it.”
Louise Blackwell KC, defending Williams, said her client maintained the allegations were true. She added: “Other than her personal vulnerabilities and her age there doesn’t appear to be any motivation at all.”
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