Channel 4 documentary tells of Ellie Williams fake grooming scandal in Barrow

Channel 4’s “Accused: The Fake Grooming Scandal,” is a three-part series examining the fallout from an explosive Facebook post.

In May 2020, as the UK was emerging from the most stringent of lockdowns, 19-year-old Ellie Williams wrote a Facebook post that went viral.

Alongside a photograph of her bruised and battered face and body, she said she was the victim of an ‘Asian grooming gang’ in her hometown of Barrow-in-Furness and had been raped and trafficked multiple times.

Among the claims made by Williams was that she had been trafficked in Lancaster, Morecambe and Blackpool for sex.

Her post sparked outrage and protests in her hometown and across the UK, as supporters rallied round demanding justice for Ellie.

What nobody could have guessed though, is that two and a half years later, Ellie Williams would be found guilty on eight counts of perverting the course of justice, and accused of being a liar and a fraud.

Accused: The Fake Grooming Scandal is a multi-perspective and multi-layered story, full of conflicting emotions and morality.

In the wake of the Rochdale and Rotherham grooming ring scandals, it offers a unique lens on how gossip and innuendo can be weaponised against Asian men in overwhelmingly white communities, said tvzoneuk.com.

Alisa Pomeroy, head of documentaries, said: “This story not only speaks volumes about race relations in modern Britain, but also asks probing questions about what we believe, who we believe and why. In the capable hands of Sophie and Colin, this will be a carefully balanced and sensitive series, exploring some of the burning issues of our times.”

Accused: The Fake Grooming Scandal begins Tuesday January 7 at 9pm on Channel 4 and will be available for streaming.

The documentary continues with episode two immediately following the premiere at 10pm on Channel 4 and is part of True Crime on Channel 4.

At Preston Crown Court in 2023, Eleanor Williams was jailed for eight and a half years.

On January 5 this year it emerged Williams has been unexpectedly released ahead of the half way point in her sentence, prompting condemnation from some Barrow residents.