A SERIAL fantasist, who lied about being raped and abused by a grooming gang, has been released early from jail.
Eleanor Williams, 24, previously sparked outrage when she posted pictures of gruesome injuries which she claimed where the result of abuse.
Taking to Facebook in 2020, the young woman from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria accused multiple men of rape going back to 2017.
She also told cops that she had been groomed and trafficked by the gang.
A ‘Justice for Ellie’ campaign garnered over 100,00 Facebook members – with protesters taking to the streets under the belief that the police weren’t properly handling the case.
The claims even attracted attention from far-Right groups after Williams suggested an Asian grooming gang was to blame.
The shocking revelation that Williams’ accusations were false came to a head when she was found guilty of eight counts of perverting the course of justice.
She was jailed for eight and half years in 2023 at Preston Crown Court.
Three men subsequently attempted to take their own lives after being falsely accused of raping her and one had spent 73 days in jail.
The court also heard how the victims’ lives had been made “hell on earth” by the deceit.
It has now emerged that Williams has been unexpectedly released ahead of the half way point in her sentence, prompting condemnation from some Barrow residents.
One, posting on a local newspaper website, stated their strong opinions surrounding her early release.
They said: “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.
Since then, she has since served an extensive period of time on remand having been charged with eight counts of perverting the course of justice.
Having previously pleaded guilty to a ninth count prior to her ten-week trial, she went on to admit how she fabricated evidence while at Styal prison in Cheshire.
She was found guilty of perverting the course of justice over multiple false claims of rape and grooming – where prosecutors laid out what they described as her extensive “web of lies”.
The Ministry of Justice confirmed that Williams, who previously lived at Teasdale Road on Walney, had been released.
An HM Prison and Probation Service spokesperson said: “Any individuals 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.
The case garnered attention after never-before-seen footage was released in 2023, showing Williams lying to the police with blood dripping from her mouth.
Staggering, she claimed she had been drugged by the men.
Williams could then be seen slumping into a chair as she whispered “help” to the officer.
It later emerged that she had beaten herself with a hammer to back up her sick lies.
Suspicions surrounding her claims grew after officers found CCTV showing Williams travelling alone to Preston where she met a man and asked for a lighter.
The fantasist was also spotted being picked up by her brother’s girlfriend in Barrow, not the Asian gang-rapers she claimed had collected her.
In the 2020 Facebook post, she accused the men of grooming her from the age of 12, forcing to attend sex parties across the North of England and Ibiza.
