Caring gang fanatic Eleanor Williams is enjoying her freedom after early prison release under Keir Starmer’s scheme – while her victims still struggle to rebuild their lives

A grooming gang fan is ‘happy and making a new life for himself’ after being quietly let out of prison under Labour’s early release scheme.

The revelation that Eleanor Williams, 24, has been released less than two years into an eight-and-a-half-year sentence has shocked locals in her home town of Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria.

Innocent men had their lives ripped apart by her false claims of being groomed by gangs of Asian men – lies she backed up with harrowing photos showing devastating injuries all over her face and body, which were later revealed to be self-inflicted.

While it was previously known that Williams had been released, MailOnline can now reveal that this happened in October under Sir Keir Starmer’s program to clear prison space.

Her family believe news of her release has been sent to the media to coincide with the release of a major Channel 4 documentary about her crimes called Accused: The Fake Grooming Scandal, which premiered last night.

Williams – who is subject to strict licensing conditions – was not available for comment. Her mother and devoted supporter, Allison Johnston, declined to speak — saying only that she was focused on keeping her daughter safe.

A source close to the case has revealed that the fan was released under the government’s scheme after technically serving 40 percent of her sentence because she spent many months in custody before her trial in 2022 and 2023.

Williams is now said to be ‘happy and well’ – focusing on forging a career and putting her celebrity behind her.

Her claims in 2020 sent the Cumbrian town into an uproar, with Asian businesses targeted and far-right thug Tommy Robinson staging a visit.

But when it emerged that Williams had cleared the allegations, local anger turned against her.

The source told MailOnline: ‘Ellie was actually released in October but until now no one has said anything about it and she has been able to live quietly away from Barrow.

“What needs to be remembered is that she served a long time in custody before her trial ever got under way and that counts towards how her sentence is calculated towards her release date.

‘She was first arrested in 2020 in May. She was given eight months in custody and released on home bond for a year. She then attempted suicide and was remanded in custody pending trial.

‘But it was delayed for a year and all that time she was in prison. So people who say she hasn’t even served two years of an eight year sentence are wrong.

“Her release date was actually February this year, but the government releases prisoners early because of the demand for prison places and she has served 40% of her sentence.

‘She was a model prisoner and she was no threat to society at all. During her time in prison, she worked as a receptionist for an electrical equipment company and proved to the authorities that she was fit to be released.’

The source described how Williams’ life had been rocked by the news that Channel 4 was filming a documentary about her.

‘She’s been happy and well and hoping to make a new life for herself, but suddenly she’s back in the news and another documentary is about to start.

“It is no coincidence that the media was fed the news of her release just before the documentary was to be released. It has been done as advertising.

‘Things have been quiet for a while and now it’s all blown up again. She was safe when she was in prison but now she is in the community and there is concern for her at this time.’

The source said Williams’ family continues to believe she was telling “lies” but was actually being groomed.

They point to the jailing of three Barrow brothers for a 14-year campaign of child sexual abuse between 1996 and 2010 as evidence that not everything she said was made up.

One of the men, Shaha Joman Miah, 38, known as Saj, was named in Williams’ indictment.

Williams was found guilty of eight counts of perverting the course of justice and jailed for eight and a half years in 2023.

Preston Crown Court previously heard that three men had tried to take their own lives after being falsely accused of raping her, and one spent 73 days in prison.

Barrow residents have expressed their shock at her release with one posting: ‘This is absolutely disgusting! She has barely served any of her eight year sentence! How is this justice for what she did to those poor men?’

Sentenced in early 2023, Preston Crown Court heard Williams was initially scheduled to be released from custody in February halfway through his sentence.

It came after she had served a lengthy period in custody after being charged with eight counts of perverting the justice system.

She pleaded guilty to a ninth count before her ten-week trial and admitted fabricating evidence while at HMP Styal in Cheshire.

The Ministry of Justice confirmed that Williams, formerly of Walney Island, Barown, had been released.

A spokesman for HM Prisons and Probation Services said: ‘Any person released on license is subject to supervised probation, strict license conditions and faces a return to prison if they break them.’

Offenders released on license are subject to strict conditions, including restrictions on their movements and contact with others.

License conditions can include restrictions on where offenders can travel, who they can contact, wearing a badge, obeying a curfew, restrictions on telephone and internet use and living at a particular address.

She can also be recalled for engaging in behavior that suggests she poses an increased risk to the public.

In sentencing, the court made her the subject of a five-year serious crime prevention order “to protect the public”, which was due to come into effect on February 17.

Williams’ lies were undone by more than 50 hours of footage, including street CCTV, tapes of video interviews and police bodycam video.

Footage shows Williams acting as if she had been drugged when police officers visited her home in July 2019 after she made the first of her allegations.

The source added: ‘Ellie went to college and is a bright girl, she has a lot to offer once she is able to put the past behind her.

‘She currently lives outside Barrow and does not know if she will be able to return. It’s an isolated town where everyone is involved in everyone else’s business, which would make life impossible for her at the moment.’