Brit sentenced to 8 and a half years in prison after faking attack by grooming gang
Eleanor Williams has been sentenced to 8 and a half years in prison
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Eleanor Williams has been sent to jail for eight-and-a-half years at Preston Crown Court.
Eleanor Williams was found guilty of eight counts of perverting the course of justice and pleaded guilty to a ninth count at an earlier hearing after falsely claiming to have been the victim of an Asian grooming gang.
Eleanor Williams, of Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, was sentenced at Preston Crown Court on Tuesday after making a series of false rape allegations.
The 22-year-old had posted an account on Facebook in May 2020 alleging she had been the victim of an Asian grooming gang.
The post was shared over 100,000 times and featured pictures of her injuries.
The prosecution said Williams inflicted the injuries on herself with a hammer, which was found close by and had her blood on.
Eleanor Williams shopping in a Spar, at a time she claimed she was being trafficked.
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It was also alleged she had sent messages to herself and made it appear as though they had come from traffickers.
Williams denied telling a “pack of lies” to the police and the jury.
In a letter written to the judge, Williams 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.”
Eleanor Williams purchasing a hammer in a branch of Tesco, which she later used to cause injuries to herself.
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Statements read out in court from three of the men Williams accused said they had tried to take their own life after the allegations were made.
Louise Blackwell KC, defending Williams, said she 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.”