I’ll sue police, says man falsely accused of rape
Victims of Facebook fantasist Eleanor Williams say eight-and-a-half year jail sentence ‘is not enough’
A MAN who spent 10 weeks on remand in prison and had his home attacked by vigilantes after being falsely accused of rape by a Facebook fantasist has said he plans to sue the police for his ordeal.
Jordan Trengove was just 18 years old when Eleanor Williams went to Cumbria Police claiming that he had drugged and raped her following a night out in 2019.
He was arrested and held in prison alongside genuine sex offenders and paedophiles, before detectives established that he had an alibi for the night in question and released him without charge. Williams showed no remorse yesterday as she was jailed for eight-and-a-half years at Preston Crown Court for making a string of false rape claims about him and other men and also for lying about being the victim of an Asian grooming gang.
She accused one man of rape after he simply asked for a light in the street.
Mr Trengove, who tried to take his own life after his home was daubed with the word “rapist”, has said he now plans to take action against the police force. He said: “I don’t think the sentence is long enough, in my opinion, for what she’s done to us all.”
Williams, 22, from Barrow-in-furness, prompted unrest in the town after posting on Facebook that she had been trafficked, beaten and raped by Asian men. Graphic photographs of her injuries were shared on social media sites more than 100,000 times, but it later emerged that she had inflicted them on herself with a hammer.
She had six phones and went to great lengths to fabricate messages and social media posts in order to support her lies.
Her allegations led to a global “Justice for Ellie” campaign with more than 100,000 members signing up and raising thousands of pounds. Far-right protesters, including Tommy Robinson, descended on the town, Asian businesses were attacked and members of the local community were targeted.
Mohammed Ramzan, a business owner whom Williams accused of grooming her from the age of 12, was arrested in the street in front of friends and neighbours and held in custody for 36 hours. He also tried to take his own life and has described how he has gone from being a successful businessman to someone who has nothing.
Mr Ramzan said: “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.” Williams told police he had forced her to work in the sex industry in Amsterdam but subsequent investigations established he was using his bank card in a B&Q in Barrow in Furness when she had alleged he was in the Netherlands.
Speaking outside court following the
‘I have had countless death threats made over social media from people all over the world. Mud sticks’
hearing, Mr Ramzan said: “I feel no sense of triumph, only sadness. I’m not sure how the family and I are going to recover from this. Mud sticks and I fear it may take some time.”
In a letter to the judge, ahead of sentencing, Williams apologised for the unrest caused in Barrow, but continued to insist she was telling the truth.
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.”
Judge Robert Altham said there was no obvious motive for Williams’s actions and her defence barrister, Louise Blackwell KC, said her client maintained the allegations were true.
The judge said: “It is troubling to say the least that she shows no significant signs of remorse – even continuing to profess the truth of her allegations.”