Man left with PTSD after being wrongly accused of rape by convicted liar Eleanor Williams

A man has told how he spent 10 weeks in prison after being wrongly accused of raping a woman who was later convicted of perverting the course of justice.

Jordan Trengrove was 18 when he was accused by Eleanor Williams of raping her three times.

He was one of a number of men the 22-year-old alleged had sexually assaulted her, as well as others she claimed had groomed, trafficked and beaten her in Barrow-in-Furness.

But, her claims proved to be false and she was later found guilty of eight counts of perverting the course of justice after a trial at Preston Crown Court.

Jordan says the accusations have left him with complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and he was subjected to attacks on his home.

"It has affected me in so many ways," he said. "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."I had to go to court to give evidence, which was nervewracking. The last time I had been in court I was being accused of something I hadn't done, and before that I had never set foot in a courtroom.

"But everyone had listened to Ellie's story, and now it is time for them to hear mine."

Jordan first met Williams while on a night with friends in Barrow in 2019.

She tagged along with his friends for a while, before the group split and Jordan took a taxi back to a friend's house with another girl. He was later 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."I had a solid alibi," he said. "I had been with the police. I was disgusted and I was confused. I didn't know what was going on."Jordan, who now lives in Ulverston, was held in a police station and questioned about Williams' accusations before being released on bail.But he was arrested again a few days later, where he was accused of attacking Williams a second time.

On 19 May, 2019, the police arrested Jordan for a third time after Williams claimed he had spiked her and raped her for a third time, he was remanded in custody and sent to prison to await trial.

"It was horrible," he says. "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 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.

Just a week and a half later, the charges were dropped and he was formally acquitted of any wrongdoing.

"It was a relief," he said, "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 says he did not feel comfortable in public and was in constant fear he would be attacked or subjected to abuse. "My mental health was shot," he said.

In May 2020 Williams posted pictures of her alleged injuries and an account of being groomed, trafficked and beaten on social media.

It was shared more than 100,000 times and led to demonstrations in the town.

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.

"It was shocking," says Jordan. "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. They were driving from Barrow to where I lived in Ulverston. There were people doing Facebook Lives. You couldn't get away from it

"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.

Speaking about the case Jordan said: "Some of the evidence that came out was really shocking. I went along to hear the closing speeches and the defence team were saying things about me.

"I had Ellie sitting behind me and her mum sitting in front. I couldn't breathe and I had to walk out of the courtroom. Then the jury went out and we waited, and waited, and waited."After four hours the jury returned and delivered unanimous verdicts on eight counts of doing an act intending to pervert the course of public justice."I looked over at them, smiled and nodded at them to say thank you. It must have been hard for them to sit and listen to all that."I hate Ellie Williams for what she has done. Barrow will forever be known as that place where she lied.

"It used to be known for its shipbuilding but that title has been tarnished. So many people have been affected by this."The community came together for her, and I think it is time they came together again now.

"For me, I just have to keep fighting forward and keep my head high. I want to get on top of my mental health and rebuild things with my Mrs and my little boy."

Williams will be sentenced at Preston Crown Court in March.

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