A grooming gang fantasist is ‘happy and making a new life for herself’ after being quietly let out of prison under Labour’s early release scheme.
The revelation that Eleanor Williams, 24, has been released less than two years in to an eight-and-a-half-year jail term has shocked locals in her hometown of Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria.
Innocent men had their lives torn apart by her false claims of grooming by gangs of Asian men – lies she backed up with harrowing photos showing devastating injuries all over her face and body which later turned out to be self-inflicted.
While it was previously known that Williams had been set free, can now reveal this happened in October under Sir Keir Starmer’s programme to clear space in jails.
Her family believe news of her release has been fed to the media to coincide with the release of a major Channel 4 documentary into her crimes called Accused: The Fake Grooming Scandal, which premiered last night.
Williams – who is subject to strict licence conditions – was unavailable for comment. Her mother and devoted supporter, Allison Johnston, declined to speak – saying only that she was focused on keeping her daughter safe.
A source close to the case has revealed that the fantasist was released under the Government’s scheme after technically serving 40 per cent of her sentence because she spent many months on remand before her trial in 2022 and 2023.
Williams is now said to be ‘happy and doing well’ – focusing on forging a career and putting her notoriety behind her.
Her allegations in 2020 sent the Cumbrian town into uproar, with Asian businesses attacked and far-right thug Tommy Robinson staging a visit.
But when it emerged Williams had made up the claims, local anger turned onto her.
The source told : ‘Ellie was actually released in October but until now no one has said anything about it and she’s been able to live quietly away from Barrow.
‘What has to be remembered is that she served a long time on remand before her trial ever got under way and that counts towards how her sentence is calculated for her release date.
‘She was first arrested in 2020 in May. She did eight months on remand and was released on home tag for a year. She then attempted suicide and was remanded again waiting for the trial.
‘But that was delayed for a year and in all that time she was in prison. So people saying that she hasn’t even served two years on an eight year sentence have it wrong.
‘Her release date was actually February this year but the Government is releasing prisoners early because of the demand on prison spaces and she has served 40% of her sentence.
‘She was a model prisoner and she was no threat to society at all. She was working during her time in jail as a receptionist for an electrical equipment company and proved to the authorities that she was suitable to be released.’
The source described how Williams’ life had been rocked by news Channel 4 was filming a documentary about her.
‘She has been happy and doing well and hoping to make a new life for herself but all of a sudden she’s back in the news and another documentary is about to begin.
‘It’s no coincidence that the media were fed the news about her release just before the documentary was due to come out. It’s been done as publicity.
‘Things have gone quiet for a while and now it has all blown up again. She was safe when she was in prison but now she’s in the community and there is a concern for her at this point.’
The source said Williams’ family continue to believe that she told ‘lies’ but was actually groomed.
They point towards the jailing of three brothers from Barrow for a 14 year campaign of sexual assaults against children between 1996 and 2010 as evidence that not everything she said was fabricated.
One of the men, Shaha Joman Miah, 38, known as Saj, was referred to in Williams’ allegations.
Williams was found guilty on eight counts of perverting the course of justice and jailed for eight and half years in 2023.
Preston Crown Court previously heard that three men had tried to take their own lives after being falsely accused of raping her and one spent 73 days in jail.
Barrow residents have expressed their shock at her release, with one posting: ‘This is absolutely disgusting! She’s barely served any of her eight year sentence! How is this justice for what she did to those poor men?’
Sentenced in early 2023, Preston Crown Court heard Williams was originally scheduled to be released from custody in February at the halfway point of her sentence.
It came after she served an extensive period of time on remand having been charged with eight counts of perverting the course of justice.
She pleaded guilty to a ninth count prior to her ten-week trial, admitting that she fabricated evidence while at HMP Styal in Cheshire.
The Ministry of Justice confirmed that Williams, who previously lived on Walney Island, Barrown, had been released.
An HM Prison and Probation Service spokesperson said: ‘Any individual released on licence are subject to probation supervision, strict licence conditions and face a return to prison if they break them.’
Offenders released on licence are subject to strict conditions including restrictions on their movements and contact with others.
Licence conditions can include restrictions on where offenders can travel, who they can contact, wearing a tag, to abide by a curfew, restrictions on phone and internet use, and living at a particular address.
She can also be recalled for exhibiting behaviour suggesting she poses an increased risk to the public.
At her sentencing hearing the court made her the subject of a five-year serious crime prevention order ‘to protect the public’ which was due to take effect from February 17.
Williams’s lies were undone by more than 50 hours of footage, including street CCTV, tapes of video interviews and police bodycam video.
Footage shows how Williams acted as if she had been drugged when police officers visited her at home in July 2019 after she made the first of her claims.
The source added: ‘Ellie went to college and is a bright girl, she has a lot to offer once she’s able to put the past behind her.
‘She’s currently living outside Barrow and doesn’t know whether she’ll be able to return. It’s an isolated town where everyone is involved in everyone else’s business which would make life impossible for her at the moment.’