Sky News’ award-winning StoryCast presents a new narrative podcast Unreliable Witness, about the high-profile case of Eleanor (Ellie) Williams.

At the height of lockdown in 2020, a 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.

In the end the young woman was jailed for eight and a half years for lying about sexual assault and grooming.

Listen to the trailer here

Sky News Home Affairs Editor Jason Farrell and producer Liz Lane, who reported on the case at the time, return to Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria to investigate what could have led Ellie to make these claims and if, underneath it all, there is a secret buried amongst the lies.

With new and exclusive access, Sky News speaks to Ellie’s mum and sister, and victims of her allegations, to get a better understanding of what really happened – raising fresh questions relating to the case. 

Jason Farrell, Sky News Home Affairs Editor said: “This is one of the most extraordinary cases Liz Lane and I have ever worked on. This tale of secrets and lies twists and turns with each new perspective.

“We get out our magnifying glass and try to go beyond the question put to the jury which was, did she lie? We ask why did she lie?” 

Ellie was sentenced last year, 2023, to eight-and-a-half years for perverting the course of justice after claiming she’d been trafficked by an Asian gang.

With access to her family, police investigators and those most impacted by her allegations, Unreliable Witness asks: Why did Ellie Williams, an otherwise normal young woman, create such an elaborate lie? And what happened after the trial – once the media attention diminished and other allegations began to emerge?  

Her posts went viral and social media rumours led to attacks on Asian men and businesses in her hometown of Barrow-in-Furness.

However, the police found holes in her story and said she had fabricated text messages and that her injuries were self-inflicted. 

When Ellie is arrested for perverting the course of justice, there are protest rallies and claims of a cover-up.

At the trial the prosecution says she has lied, faked text messages and caused a catalogue of injuries to herself.

Three of the men she falsely accused have said they tried to take their own lives because of her accusations. 

Sky News’ Unreliable Witness launches on Monday, March 25, with the final instalment released on Tuesday, April 2, on the StoryCast feed.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Unreliable Witness is the season six offering from StoryCast, Sky News’ multi award-winning podcast documentary strand.

Sky News StoryCast investigates the real people behind the big news stories whose lives have been profoundly changed by seismic events.

Previous seasons include Patient 11 – a joint investigation with the Independent into wide scale sexual abuse allegations within mental health trusts, and What happened to Annie Börjesson? an investigation inside the mystery ‘suicide’ of a talented linguist and musician who was discovered face down on Prestwick Beach.