A man who was locked up for weeks after a woman he met in a nightclub falsely accused him of rape has spoken about his horrific ordeal.
Two months before Jordan Trengrove was locked up, he had been out with friends at Manhattan's in Barrow. They met Elle Williams and spent two hours with her, before going their separate ways.
Jordan told Lancs Live: "I knew of her, because she worked there, but that was it."
READ MORE: Footballer threatened to kill ex when she became pregnant with his baby
When the lads moved on to another bar, he said Williams tagged along, adding: "We said she could come with us, because we are nice people. But later she disappeared and someone said she was being sick on the stairs, so we carried on with our night out."
At the end of the evening, Jordan took a taxi back to a friend's house, with another girl. Later he was taken home by Cumbria Police. A few days later he was arrested on suspicion of rape, after Williams claimed he had attacked her at her flat in Steamer Street.
Despite protesting his innocence, Jordan, who was only 18 at the time, was remanded into custody and sent to prison to await trial. A week before his 19th birthday, he was locked up with a self-confessed paedophile.
Jordan said he had a "solid alibi" as he had been with the police that night, before adding that he was "disgusted and confused". After initially being questioned, he was released on bail, but that was not the end of it.
On May 19, 2019, the police arrested Jordan for a third time after Williams claimed he had spiked her and raped her. He was later sent to prison.
He said: "It was horrible You don't want to be in prison if you have done something but to be there when you've done nothing wrong is just awful. I didn't really leave my cell."
After 10 weeks in prison, Jordan's barrister made a successful bail application, and he was allowed to leave. But the teenager could not return home to Barrow. He was ordered to stay in Workington, more than 50 miles from home, and sign on at a police station every other day.
Then, a week and a half later, Jordan received a phone call which changed everything. The charges had been dropped and he was formally acquitted of any wrongdoing.
He said: "It was a relief, but I still questioned why I'd been accused of all this. My case had been reported in the paper and mud stuck. When I returned to Barrow I had my windows smashed, and someone sprayed rapist on my house."
Jordan began trying to rebuild his life and at the end of 2019 he met his partner, but his experience of prison tainted every corner of his life. He did not feel comfortable in public and was in constant fear he would be attacked or subjected to abuse.
Then in May 2020, Williams posted a horrific account of being sold at sex parties by an "evil but clever" Asian grooming gang, she claimed was operating in Barrow. When she did not go along with their orders, she was beaten black and blue, she claimed. The 1,300 word Facebook post was accompanied with harrowing pictures of William's bruised face and body and a heart wrenching account of years of sexual exploitation. Within hours, it went viral, being shared more than 100,000 times.
What the post did not reveal was that a few weeks earlier, Williams had been charged with eight counts of perverting the course of justice, in connection with her false claims against Jordan, and a number of other men.
Jordan said: "I knew it must be more lies. I knew the extent she had gone to to lie about me and I tried to warn people but she had them all fooled. The Justice For Ellie campaign was horrible.
"I would go on days out to Manchester and it was a relief to be where no-one recognised me but I still felt unsafe. I felt like everyone was talking about me and calling me a rapist. There was no escape. The police came to see me not long after she was remanded into custody. I felt a little bit of relief, but the campaign was still carrying on.
"It has affected me in so many ways. When my son was born in August 2021, I struggled to bond with him because I didn't want him growing up, hearing his dad being called a rapist. My relationship was affected and I pushed my partner away so many times. I have complex PTSD because of what happened to me and struggle to trust anyone."
After a jury unanimously found Williams guilty, Jordan said: "I hate Elle Williams for what she has done. So many people have been affected by this".
Williams will be sentenced at Preston Crown Court in March, three years after Jordan met her in Manhattan's nightclub. He hopes once the final court date is over he can "start to rebuild his life".
Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here
READ NEXT:
Notebooks and burner phones exposed extent of national crime ring trading kilos of cocaine
Liverpool coffee shop described as 'one of the best' confirms closure
Peter Kay fans divided after 'heckler' halts M&S Bank Arena show
Drunk driver, fraudster and pervert among those jailed in the first week of 2023
Little-known passport rule that may stop you travelling to Europe
