Woman 'ashamed and embarrassed' she supported Ellie Williams

Named only as Caitlin in a new BBC documentary on the case, she opened up on how she supported Williams after the then 19-year-old made claims of being trafficked and beaten by Asian men.

Caitlin described seeing the post and how it moved her.

"I definitely understood how she felt and I wanted to support her in every way," she said.

Williams' more than 1,300-word Facebook post that went live in May 2020 alleged she was the victim of a grooming gang operating in Barrow and across the country.

Eleanor Williams giving a police interview (Image: BBC/Cumbria Police)

The post was shared more than 100,000 times and prompted a groundswell of support and anger.

Tensions were further inflamed when it emerged Williams had been arrested and charged with perverting the course of justice.

Nearly three years later, jurors found her guilty after a ten-week trial at Preston Crown Court in which prosecutors described how she had fabricated evidence to support her false claims.

Reflecting on the case in the documentary, Caitlin said: "I just can't wrap my head around it, how could she inflict those injuries on herself and what would she gain from ruining innocent men's lives?

"I don't think Barrow will forgive Ellie for what she's done, it's like there's still salt in a wound.

"People like me are ashamed and embarrassed for supporting Ellie then finding out that it was all fake.

"She's not really given anyone a reason why so everyone's kind of stuck in the dark trying to figure out why."

The BBC Three documentary featured excerpts of police interviews played in court and bodycam footage captured by officers.

That included footage of officers visiting her Barrow Island flat after she claimed she had been raped in Preston.

Prosecutors said she was pretending to act as if she had been beaten and drugged, in a clip that brought Williams to tears when it was played in court.