Labour councillor fails to return £21K donated to her daughter who lied about ... trends now
A labour councillor whose daughter was jailed for lying about being raped by an Asian gang has failed to return £21,000 donated by duped well-wishers, it was claimed last night.
More than 1,000 people contributed to an appeal for Eleanor Williams after she claimed she was trafficked and abused by an Asian gang in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. She also accused a number of white men of raping her.
The money was to pay for legal fees to bring her abusers to justice, but last week the 22-year-old was jailed for eight-and-a-half years after being exposed as a fantasist and convicted of perverting the course of justice.
Three men who she falsely accused of rape tried to kill themselves as a result of her lies. Now Shane Yerrell, the fundraiser who organised the appeal, has said that he transferred £21,104 to Ms Williams’ mother Allison Johnston.
Despite her daughter being convicted in January, he says she has still not returned it.
Eleanor Williams posted this photo of injuries she said were caused by a gang. In fact, she inflicted them herself
Eleanor Williams's mother speaking to Sky News
Mr Yerrell, a Tory councillor in Essex, vowed to launch legal proceedings to retrieve the money, which he said should be donated to charity.
He said: ‘There is no grooming gang, so the money can never be spent on what it was meant to be spent on.’
Ms Johnston, a councillor on Barrow Borough Council, was suspended by the Labour Party in January after Williams’s conviction.
Mr Yerrell has revealed how he contacted Ms Johnston and urged her to release £3,000 of the cash so it could be donated to a family who wanted to take their
