A British woman was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison in LONDON after she lied about being a victim of an Asian grooming gang.
Eleanor Williams lied to her neighbors in Barrow-in-Furness, claiming that she was assaulted by a gang of Asian men. This led to outrage and protests.
On Tuesday, a 22-year-old was given a sentence for attempting to obstruct the administration of justice.
Doug Marshall, the case’s senior investigator, said to Sky News, “I’ve had cases where people have told lies, but never to this extent.”
“It just wouldn’t have stopped” if Williams hadn’t been arrested, he said.
As a result of Williams’s false accusations, three men reported attempting suicide.
Williams’ alleged rape and trafficking victim Mohammed Ramzan claimed he attempted suicide two weeks after his arrest.
I have the scars to prove it,” he said.
Jordan Trengove, another of Williams’ victims, said the word “rapist” had been sprayed on his house and that he, too, had attempted suicide.
It has been reported that a third man, Oliver Gardner, was also sectioned after attempting suicide as a result of Williams’ false accusations.
When Williams posted photos of her self-inflicted wounds to Facebook in May 2020, Asian business owners were the target, even though four of the men she accused were white.
Bricks were thrown through the windows of two Indian restaurants, according to reports from Sky News, and the owners claim they were also verbally harassed on the street. One businessman claimed he lost 90% of his clientele as a direct result of the allegations.
The police estimate that approximately 150 crimes were committed as a direct result of Williams’ false claims.
The police said they began looking into Williams’ claims of sexual abuse, but their inquiry was derailed when they learned she had checked into a hotel at the same time she said she was being “sold for sex” in multiple Blackpool homes.
Surveillance footage showed her checking in, and her phone records indicated that she spent her time in the room watching videos and only left to get food at the nearby convenience store.
Williams also created fictitious social media accounts through which she communicated with herself in order to give the impression that her abusers were sending her messages.
