unreliable witnessis a new narrative podcast from Sky News' award-winning StoryCast, which investigates the high-profile case of Eleanor (Ellie) Williams, a young woman who was jailed on false charges of sexual assault and grooming.
Ellie was sentenced last year to eight and a half years in prison for perverting the course of justice after claiming she had been trafficked by an Asian gang. However, police found holes in her story, claiming she had fabricated the text messages and that her injuries were self-inflicted.
Unreliable witnesses used their contacts with family members, police investigators, and those most affected by her accusations to explain why Ellie Williams, an ordinary young woman, would commit such elaborate crimes. Did you lie?” he asked. And what happened after the trial, after the media attention faded and other allegations began to surface?
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To better understand what really happened, Sky News used new exclusive access to speak to Ellie's mother and sister, as well as the victims of her claims, and find out more about the case. It raises new and relevant questions.
Sky News home affairs editor Jason Farrell and producer Liz Lane, who were reporting on the case at the time, asked what led Ellie to make these claims, and what was the underlying cause behind them. Return to Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria to investigate. A secret hidden in a lie.
Sky News Home Affairs Editor Jason Farrell said: “This is one of the most extraordinary cases Liz Lane and I have ever worked on. This story of secrets and lies continues to unfold with every new perspective. It goes through twists and turns. We pull out the magnifying glass and try to look beyond the question to the jury: “Did she lie?” We ask why she lied. ”
At the height of lockdown in 2020, 19-year-old Ellie Williams claimed on social media that she had been raped and exploited by an Asian grooming gang in the north of England.
Her post went viral and social media rumors led to attacks on Asian men and businesses in her hometown of Barrow-in-Furness. Protests ensue when Ellie is arrested for perverting her course of justice, and she claims there was a cover-up. At her trial, prosecutors said she lied and forged her text messages and that she caused numerous injuries to herself.
Three of the men she falsely accused have said they attempted suicide because of her accusations.
Unreliable Witness is season six of Sky News' award-winning documentary podcast, StoryCast. Sky News StoryCast investigates the real people behind the big stories, whose lives have been forever changed by the earthquake. Previous seasons have included 'Patient 11 – A joint investigation with The Independent into allegations of extensive sexual abuse within a mental health trust', and 'What happened to Annie Bergeson?' It is included. An inside investigation into the mysterious 'suicide' of a talented linguist and musician who was found face down on Prestwick Beach.
Sky News' Unreliable Witness launches on Monday, March 25, with the final episode on the StoryCast feed on Tuesday, April 2.
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