A businessman has told of his hell after being falsely accused of being the leader of a grooming gang which drugged and raped young girls. Mohammed Ramzan was investigated by the police and received death threats in the wake of Eleanor Williams' fictitious claims.
Her false allegations spawned a 'Justice For Ellie' campaign and the far right tried to capitalise on the existence of the supposed Asian grooming gang. But after 22-year-old Williams' lies were finally exposed, and she was convicted of perverting the course of justice, Mr Ramzan has told Lancs Live of the nightmare he endured.
Mr Ramzan, also known as Mo Rammy, is a successful businessman who owns several restaurants, ice cream vans and rental properties in Barrow. He had set up a dessert truck which attracted custom from Just Eat and his own app, and business was 'booming'.
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"I thought, 'this is brilliant'. My son is sorted for life now," he said. "This can be his business." But some accused Mr Ramzan of being a drug dealer.
"My vans were targeted and one of the young lads who worked on the van was being called a 'paedo'," he said. He carried out a DBS check on the driver, which raised no concerns.
On July 7, 2019, Mr Ramzan had been out driving carrying out errands when he was pulled over by police. Knowing he had been speeding, he pulled over and spoke to the officers.
Expecting a fine and a stern ticking off, he was horrified to learn he was being accused of modern slavery and human trafficking. As he was handcuffed, members of the public got out their phones and began filming as police searched his car.
"After the rumours of drug dealing, people started posting pictures of this on social media," he said. Social media was full of rumours of trafficking ring.
Mr Ramzan's windows were smashed, tenants moved out of his rental properties as they feared for their safety, and he was unable to let them out again with the windows permanently boarded up. Friends were labelled 'enablers' and targeted with bricks and eggs. His Porsche was keyed.
Another man, Jordan Trengrove, then 18, was remanded in custody after being falsely accused of rape by Williams. He spent 10 weeks in prison on remand before being freed.
In May 2020, police released a statement, saying there was no evidence of a grooming gang in Barrow. Williams, of Teasdale Road, Barrow, was charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice. Mr Trengrove was released from custody, after being cleared of any allegations of rape.
The nightmare was only to get worse for Mr Ramzan.
Williams shared a shocking Facebook post, featuring graphic pictures of injuries to her face and body. She claimed her 'abusers' had tried to cut her finger off when she refused to attend sex parties in lockdown. While did not name any of her alleged perpetrators, Mr Ramzan said fingers were quickly pointed to him.
The post was shared more than 100,000 times and a 'Justice For Ellie' Facebook page attracted more than 100,000 followers. More than £22,000 was raised through a crowdfunding campaign, as people believed there was a cover up between the police and media.
The following month, former English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson visited the town to take part in a 'Justice For Ellie' march. A year earlier he had pledged to give 100 per cent of his income to victims of Asian grooming gangs, during his European election campaign in the town.
"I started knocking on every door," Mr Ramzan said. "I was writing letters every single day. I started doing my own investigations, joining the groups and finding information to send to the police. It was horrendous.
"I was getting lots of death threats and I was in and out of the police station for 11 months. I watched as my friends deleted me from social media. Me and my wife used to be really sociable, we'd go to restaurants three, four times a week and out to bars. Before all this, I was larger than life, but then I started noticing no-one wanted to talk to me.
"I became an introvert and started hating people. I had to close my businesses. I started believing every single white person was racist, and that is not how I am at all. I am British Pakistani - British first with Pakistani heritage and we were always brought up to be inter-racial, and mix with the entire community. My dad was very forward thinking. He'd tell my sisters, 'we live in a Western world - you don't need a man' and encouraged them to be independent.'"
Mr Ramzan family was also deeply affected. His 15-year-old son, who had taken on an ice cream van round to earn money to buy a PlayStation, was called a 'paedo'. "He said, dad...stupid question. Can I be a paedo? I'm only 15.
"I wouldn't let my older son go to parties in case people made false accusations about him," Mr Ramzan added. "My kids couldn't go to nightclubs or hang around with English people. I couldn't work, and I became a conspiracist. I fitted CCTV around my home and I would sit awake at night watching the cameras to keep my family safe.
"I had dash-cams fitted to all the vehicles, baseball bats and fire extinguishers in every room of the house. It scared me, because there are some really unhinged racists. I had mad thoughts going through my head, but then I'd have words with myself.
"I thought, what kind of life is destined for me - no money, living off handouts from my family. What kind of man can't support his family?" Rammy said he also had suicidal thoughts.
"Me and my family were living in a jail that we had created for ourselves," he said. "I caged myself and I caged my family."
Mr Ramzan said he believes the root of the problem is racism, which he experienced while growing up in Lancashire in the 1980s.
"I was shocked that this mentality still exists," he said. "I remember the 80s, when 'P*** bashing' was normal, but generally that has disappeared. Then all of a sudden, from being this global village, this forward world, things have started going backwards. It is the minority, not the majority, but social media has given them a platform."
In the spring of 2020, Williams was charged with perverting the course of justice after the police investigation revealed she had concocted her account of being trafficked. "I was ecstatic," Mr Ramzansaid. "Then when I looked at the charge sheet of the other men she had accused, they were all white men.
"I was just shocked. She is such a clever girl. What a waste of a brain. Why hasn't that kid been channelled into something good? When I looked at the pictures she posted I had a tear in my eye. Something has happened, even though it wasn't me, but God knows what that is."
Earlier this week at Preston Crown Court, Williams was found guilty of eight counts of perverting the course of justice.
"She is still only a young girl," Mr Ramzan said. "I can forgive, but I will never forget. When the jury returned their verdicts, there was a massive sigh of relief, but I am anxious again now.
"It is all coming back. I have been in my own bubble but slowly I am getting my life back. I have always known I am innocent, but it is time for the community to heal."
Williams will be sentenced in March.
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