Cumbrian woman jailed after lying about being victim of grooming gang
Eleanor Williams, 22, from Barrow, was found guilty of eight counts of perverting the course of justice.
Last updated 15th Mar 2023
A Cumbrian woman who lied about being the victim of an Asian grooming gang has been jailed for eight and a half years.
Eleanor Williams has been sentenced after being found guilty of eight counts of perverting the course of justice.
During the trial, Preston Crown Court heard how she lied about being trafficked by an Asian grooming gang and made numerous false rape allegations.
In a post on social media in 2020, Williams showed injuries she supposedly suffered at the hands of her abusers.
However during the course of the trial it was argued that those injuries were self-inflicted with a hammer.
It was also alleged that Williams messaged herself on social media to make it look like she was in contact with traffickers and other victims.
All allegations were found to be unsubstantiated, leading to Eleanor Williams facing criminal charges instead.
She denied lying throughout the case and only plead guilty to one charge of perverting the course of justice.
However, it took the jury less than five hours to come back with a guilty verdict for the eight charges against her.
The court heard that three men tried to take their own lives after being falsely accused of rape and trafficking.
During the sentencing hearing, Mohammed Ramzan said the lies made his life 'hell on earth.'
Jordan Tengrove spent 73 days in prison and shared a cell with a convicted sex offender after being charged as a result of Williams' claims.
In a statement read out in court, he said the word 'rapist' had been spray-painted on his house.
In another statement, Oliver Gardner said he was sanctioned under the mental health act after a chance meeting with Williams in Preston led to an accusation of rape.