Crowdfunder raises £22k for woman who lied about being raped and sexually abused in Lancaster, Morecambe, Preston and Blackpool

The crowdfunding page at justgiving here was set up in June 2020 for Eleanor Williams who has been found guilty of seven offences of perverting the course of justice at Preston Crown Court after an eleven week trial.

Eleanor Williams, 22, of Barrow in Furness, admitted another offence of intending to pervert the course of justice at an earlier hearing.

The justgiving page founder said: “After reading the most upsetting facebook post. I have decided to help Ellie and her family. Ellie has suffered the most Vile abuse and torture from a sex trafficking group.

"I run a charity that provides support for victims of violent crime and would like to raise money to help this young girl get the help she deserves.

“After having a conversation with Ellie’s mum Allison, she is now looking to get new solicitors who specialise in the horrifying crimes that Ellie has sadly been the victim of for far too long.“We haven’t pushed this fundraiser very much, we now need your help. The money from this fundraiser will be used for solicitor fees, the legal team is being recommended by Maggie Oliver herself. Any help given is amazing, even if you can’t donate, please share and help spread the word.

“If any money is left over, the rest of your donations will be split 50/50 between the Maggie Oliver Foundation and to the The Women’s Centre in Barrow.

“Thank you all so much for your help in all this. Ellie and her family will never forget it.”

The justgiving page raised £22,129.

Ellie’s brother Ben Williams set up a private Facebook group which has 103.2k members called ‘Justice for Ellie’ which is currently blocked for posts which says: “Let’s get Ellie’s voice heard, she won’t be silenced and she will get the help she needs!”

Ben Williams also posted gruesome pictures of Ellie’s injuries which were on her phone and ipad, including badly bruised legs, a sink splattered with blood, black eyes, scratches and the tip of her finger cut off.

Ellie herself put a post on the page in May 2020 claiming: “Yesterday I was put into the back of a car, taken to an address to have sex with three Asian men.

"Afterwards I was beaten because I was in debt to these men for not attending “party’s” for over seven weeks due to coronavirus.

"The organisers of the party decided to beat me to teach me a lesson.

"They decided that I don’t learn from being battered as I’ve received beatings before but “still continuing to make the same mistakes” so they decided to try and cut my finger off! “They then continued screaming in my face, waving a knife around saying they would kill me.

"They have beaten me on multiple occasions sometimes for no reason at all.

"They have given me drugs to the point I was nearly addicted to heroin!

"They have stripped me naked, beaten me and dumped me in the middle of nowhere with nothing, I mean nothing, no money, phone, ID, clothes, shoes, nothing!

"They did this once in winter we’re I got found with bad hypothermia.

"They have broken my ribs, many bones in my face, they have split my ear, cut my throat, attempted to cut my boobs and nipples off, they have carved words into my body, branded me with letters, they have dislocated my elbow, they have stabbed me, they have burnt me and used me as an ashtray to stump cigarettes out, they have beaten me black.

"I have had a bleed on the brain from a head injury, I have lost some vision in one of my eyes from being smacked so badly. Now I have had my finger cut.”

Ellie’s mother Allison Johnston posted on the Justice for Ellie page: “When people ask me “how do you cope” I tell them that my daughter is still alive…..things could be much worse.

“I honestly thought that one day Ellie just wouldn’t come home and my heart would never of mended.

“Ellie has been through worse. We have been through the worst. Today she is safe, and we have hope that she will come home….hopefully soon.

“We love and miss you very much Ellie Williams xxx.

“I would like to thank you for all the continued support and the very kind well wishes that continue to come daily for Ellie and my family. It means so much to us all.”

At court the prosecution said Ellie produced fabricated evidence to support her claims including fake Snapchat accounts and messages.

She implicated a number of men who she knew and gave the police fictitious names of people who she said had subjected her to sexual abuse, violence and rape.

Williams also told police that she had been in a sexual relationship with a different man since she was 12 or 13.

She claimed that this man and others had trafficked her to various places both inside and outside of the UK and exploited her.

Again, that was found to be untrue.

Posting in the group Justice for Ellie has been temporarily paused.

As for the money raised from the justgiving page, it is unclear what has happened to it.

Ellie will be sentenced on March 14 2023.