BBC Three have released a true crime documentary on Eleanor Williams, a 23-year-old woman, from Barrow-in-Furness, who was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison after being found guilty of lying about being raped and trafficked "by an Asian gang". The hour long programme features never-before-seen police footage of Williams and hears from the officers at the heart of the case who then uncovered her web of lies.
Note: research from the Crown Prosecution Service shows that false allegations of rape are rare. During an observed 17-month period that saw 5,651 prosecutions for rape, there were just 35 prosecutions for making false allegations of rape (equating to 0.6%).
Here's the full story of Eleanor Williams and the impact of her crimes...
Who is Eleanor Williams?
Eleanor Williams, 23, first made accusations of abuse back in 2017 when she was just 16, but her claims didn’t go viral until the pandemic when she shared a series of social media posts in May 2020. Her allegations (details of which we'll go into shortly) spread globally, and a 'Justice for Ellie' campaign garnered over 100,00 Facebook members, with protestors taking to the streets under the the belief that the police weren't adequately handling the case.
Little did protestors know, however, that at the time of her posts, Williams was already suspected of making up falsehoods by the police.
Within an hour of her Facebook post, Cumbria Police arrested Williams at her home.
What accusations did Eleanor Williams make?
In a Facebook post shared in May 2020, Williams accused a group of men of attacking her, even claiming that one of them had forced her to work in a brothel in Amsterdam. She also uploaded photos – which quickly went viral – showing her covered in bruises, including a black eye and a severed finger.
In thee viral Facebook post, Williams made a series of disturbing and shocking allegations. She claimed she had had her ribs broken, bones in her face broken, and that the men had threatened to cut off her breasts and nipples.
She also claimed she had been groomed by a gang of Asian men, drawing comparisons between her account and the Rochdale grooming gang, which was uncovered in 2012.
What happened at Eleanor Williams' trial?
Williams' story of being forced to work in an Amsterdam brothel was disproven when evidence (phone and bank records) shown in court, revealed that the man she accused of forcing her into this was actually shopping in B&Q in the UK at the time that he and Williams were supposedly overseas. This lead police to liken her claims about being trafficked to Amsterdam to the plot of the movie, Taken.
Another claim that was shown to have been made up was that Williams had been raped after boarding a train to Blackpool. In reality, Williams had booked herself into a hotel alone and was watching YouTube videos at the time of the alleged attack.
As for the bloody and bruised images that Williams uploaded to social media, the court heard how these injuries were likely self-inflicted.
Williams initially stood by her innocence in court, but said she was sorry for the damage her Facebook posts had caused in her local area – hate crimes tripled in Barrow-in-Furness over the summer of 2020 and Cumbria Police recorded 151 crimes linked to the case, including malicious communications, harassment and criminal damage to the properties of those accused of wrongdoing.
But, as the holes in Williams' story grew, she made an apology. "I know I've made some mistakes and I am sorry," a letter read out by her legal team stated. "I was young and confused. I'm not saying I am guilty but I know I have done some wrong and so I'm sorry."
Following her trial, Williams was convicted on eight counts of perverting the course of justice and was today sentenced to eight and a half years in prison.
What impact did Eleanor Williams' accusations have?
One of the men accused of rape by Williams, Mohammed Ramzan, said during a hearing at Preston Crown Court that the lies had made his life "hell on earth". He added that two weeks after his initial arrest, he attempted to take his own life. "I still bear the scars to this day," he said.
Ramzan went on to explain that his property was damaged and his businesses had been "ruined" as a result of him being targeted. "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," he said. According to Sky News, businesses named in Williams' posts had their "windows smashed" and "fire alarms had to be installed at vulnerable premises."
One of the other men Williams accused, Jordan Trengove, spent 73 days in custody and shared a cell with a convicted sex offender. While in court, Trengove said he had the word "rapist" spray painted across his house [via the BBC].
"Things had calmed down a bit until the Facebook post in 2020," he said. "This made things even worse for me. There were big protests and marches in Barrow. The lowest point was when I tried to end my life in August 2020."
A third man accused of rape by Williams, Oliver Gardner, said he only met her once and so it was a "shock" when he was contacted by Cumbria Police in regards to the claims. "It was just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said of the allegations that ultimately led to him being sectioned under the Mental Health Act after he tried to take his own life.
Elsewhere, Cameron Bibby, the first man accused of rape by Williams, revealed he'd been forced to delete social media and was too afraid to pick his son up from nursery due to the online abuse he suffered.
Undeniably, Williams' false allegations have had a shocking and heartbreaking impact on all those involved. But, the impacts of her crimes go even further as they damage the claims of genuine victims who come forward. As such, it's important to remember that false allegations like these are incredibly rare, and victims should never be discouraged from reporting their abusers.
For help with any of the issues discussed in this article, visit: Rape Crisis England & Wales, Rape Crisis Scotland, or Rape Crisis Northern Ireland. RASASC provides emotional and practical support for survivors, families and friends.
Chloe Bowen is Cosmopolitan UK’s former Features Intern. She holds undergraduate and masters degrees in journalism, and ever since joining the Cosmo team, Chloe writes about everything from sex and dating to mental health, culture, body image and books. In her spare time, she’s likely to be cooking up tasty vegan food, in a yoga class, binge-watching crime documentaries or going on long walks with an over-priced oat milk flat white.
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
