• Unreliable Witness | Storycast

  • By: Sky News
  • Podcast

Unreliable Witness | Storycast

By: Sky News
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  • Summary

  • At the height of lockdown, 19-year-old Ellie Williams claims on social media she’s been trafficked by an Asian grooming gang across the North of England. Photos of her horrific injuries add to the outrage and the post goes viral – shared more than 100 thousand times.

    Social media rumours lead to attacks on Asian men and businesses in her hometown of Barrow-in-Furness. But when she’s arrested for perverting the course of justice, things really explode and there are protest rallies and claims of a cover-up. At the trial the prosecution claims she’d lied, faked text messages and even caused the catalogue of injuries to herself.

    In season 6 of StoryCast, Sky News’ Jason Farrell and Liz Lane, who reported on the case at the time, return to Barrow to investigate what could have led her to make these claims and if, underneath it all, there is some other secret buried amongst the lies.

    With access to her family, police investigators and those most impacted by her allegations, we ask: Why did Ellie Williams create such an elaborate lie? And what happened AFTER the trial – once all the media attention died down and other allegations began to emerge?

    For more investigative stories from the award-winning Sky News StoryCast strand, listen to our past seasons.

    SEASON 5: Patient 11 (2024)
    Following the death of her brother, young mother Alexis Quinn seeks temporary respite in NHS psychiatric care, never imagining that three days, would turn into more than three year ordeal that would ultimately expose a national scandal.

    SEASON 4: StoryCast 21 (2021)
    Through extraordinary personal stories, Sky News revisits 21 of the world’s biggest news events this century.

    SEASON 3: Polonium and The Piano Player (2020)
    Two Russian agents release a miniature nuclear weapon in a 5-star London hotel. But former KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko is not the only victim.

    SEASON 2: What happened to Annie? (2019)
    In 2005, the body of 30-year-old Swedish woman, Annie Börjesson, was found on Prestwick beach in Scotland. Could one of the world’s most secretive security agencies be behind her death?

    SEASON 1: The Hunt for the Brinks-Mat Gold (2018)
    In 1983, an armed gang stole £26m in gold bars from a high-security depot near Heathrow Airport. Dubbed the crime of the century, the heist changed the face of Britain’s criminal landscape and the life of one undercover Scotland Yard detective.
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Episodes
  • Unreliable Witness 6: Eleanor Williams – Inside

    Unreliable Witness 6: Eleanor Williams – Inside
    Mar 24 2024
    Police material is released, taking us to the moments they discover her battered at her flat and the night before her infamous post. They also reveal her reaction when accused of lying. Meanwhile Liz and Jason are given a psychiatric report charting medical records and interviews which reveal more on Ellie’s background and state of mind. And, finally, Liz hears from the young woman at the centre of it all - directly from prison.

    Warning: This series discusses issues of sexual abuse, self-harm, violence and suicide

    From Sky News Storycast, Unreliable Witness is presented by Jason Farrell and Liz Lane.

    Series Producer: Anne-Marie Bullock
    Executive Producer: Louise Cotton
    Sound Design: Matt Wareham
    Additional Journalism: Sarah O’Connell
    Sky Podcasts Editor: Paul Stanworth
    Show More Show Less
    39 mins
  • Unreliable Witness 5: I’m Coming for You

    Unreliable Witness 5: I’m Coming for You
    Mar 24 2024
    It’s revealed Mohammed Ramzan has been facing allegations other than from Ellie Williams. Liz and Jason meet ‘Sarah’ - who says she was groomed as a child in Hull and accuses Mo of being involved in the gang responsible. He claims something more sinister is at play. But his anger at the situation sees him back in court – in the dock.

    Warning: This series discusses issues of sexual abuse, self-harm, violence and suicide

    From Sky News Storycast, Unreliable Witness is presented by Jason Farrell and Liz Lane

    Series Producer: Anne-Marie Bullock
    Executive Producer: Louise Cotton
    Sound Design: Matt Wareham
    Additional Journalism: Sarah O’Connell
    Sky Podcasts Editor: Paul Stanworth
    Show More Show Less
    32 mins
  • Unreliable Witness 4: The Witness Who Went Home

    Unreliable Witness 4: The Witness Who Went Home
    Mar 24 2024
    Ellie has been sentenced to 8 and a half years in prison but questions have been raised about what evidence was presented and left out in court. One potential witness who wasn’t called on says she could have supported parts of Ellie’s story. Liz and Jason ask why Williams wasn’t prosecuted in relation to the other men she had accused.

    Warning: This series discusses issues of sexual abuse, self-harm, violence and suicide

    From Sky News Storycast, Unreliable Witness is presented by Jason Farrell and Liz Lane

    Series Producer: Anne-Marie Bullock
    Executive Producer: Louise Cotton
    Sound Design: Matt Wareham
    Additional Journalism: Sarah O’Connell
    Sky Podcasts Editor: Paul Stanworth
    Show More Show Less
    34 mins

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