Unreliable Witness | Storycast

Sky News

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...

  • 38 minutes 58 seconds
    Unreliable Witness 6: Eleanor Williams – Inside
    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 
    24 March 2024, 7:25 pm
  • 31 minutes 40 seconds
    Unreliable Witness 5: I’m Coming for You
    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 
    24 March 2024, 7:20 pm
  • 33 minutes 44 seconds
    Unreliable Witness 4: The Witness Who Went Home
    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 
    24 March 2024, 7:15 pm
  • 34 minutes 48 seconds
    Unreliable Witness 3: I’m not a Psychopath
    After Covid delays, the trial is finally held and Ellie Williams is in the dock. Liz and Jason were among the reporters at court when the extent of her claims were revealed for the first time, shocking the media and public alike. She’s accused of perverting the course of justice against 5 men, including 4 who are white – of lying to police and falsifying evidence to back up her claims, including causing the horrific injuries to herself. Liz and Jason share some of the shocking twists and revelations of the 11-week trial and what Ellie has to say in her defence.  
     
    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 
    24 March 2024, 7:10 pm
  • 33 minutes 8 seconds
    Unreliable Witness 2: Recipe for a Witch Hunt
    The fuse has been lit...and with limited information from police or in the news, social media speculation starts fingers pointing. Barrow is about to hit boiling point. Asian businesses are attacked.  Individuals are targeted. Meanwhile local businessman Mohammed Ramzan is arrested – suspected of being a central figure in the grooming gang. But a senior detective coming onto the case starts to find holes in the account police have been told.  
     
    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 
    24 March 2024, 7:05 pm
  • 31 minutes
    Unreliable Witness 1: Who is Ellie Williams?
    Ellie’s family and boss share their worries about her leading up to the infamous Facebook post. Unexplained injuries. Becoming withdrawn. Incessant messages. Harassment on the street. Then she started to go missing regularly. When she suddenly moves out of the family home, her family feel they’re losing contact. Eventually she turns up so badly injured she says she can’t take it any more and goes public with claims on social media that go viral and shock the nation.  
     
    Warning: This series discusses issues of sexual abuse, self-harm, violence and suicide. If you feel affected by the issues, you can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email [email protected] in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK 
     
    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 
    24 March 2024, 7:00 pm
  • 4 minutes 50 seconds
    Introducing: Unreliable Witness
    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? 
    18 March 2024, 1:40 pm
  • 18 minutes 46 seconds
    Patient 11: Episode 4 – Breaking free
    A long serving doctor and his partner agree to help Alexis break out of psychiatric care and flee the country, a decision that has the potential to change all their lives.

    This series discusses rape and sexual assault.

    Credits -

    From Sky News StoryCast, Patient 11 is written and produced by Robert Mulhern. Reporting by Rebecca Thomas and Robert Mulhern. Editing by Paul Stanworth. Data and Forensics by Saywah Mahmood. Social Media by David Chipakupaku. Story commissioner, Dave Terris. Graphics by Kelly Casanova. Press and marketing by Anna Phelan. If you were impacted by this story please email the StoryCast team on [email protected]
    28 January 2024, 4:55 pm
  • 19 minutes 48 seconds
    Patient 11: Episode 3 – Escape Plan
    Enduring long periods in solitary and having descended to the darkest reaches of psychiatric care, Alexis plots an escape, one, that if successful, will take her thousands of miles from England.

    This series discusses rape and sexual assault.
    28 January 2024, 4:50 pm
  • 19 minutes 21 seconds
    Patient 11: Episode 2 – In harm’s way
    Undiagnosed, legally detained and separated from her daughter for more than a year, Alexis is moved to an all-male psychiatric ward on Christmas Eve, 2013.

    What happens next will, ultimately, bring her to the attention of the most powerful institutions in the state.

    This series discusses rape and sexual assault.
    28 January 2024, 4:45 pm
  • 19 minutes 15 seconds
    Patient 11: Episode 1 – Locked-up and drugged
    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 years, or that her bid to break free would bring her to the attention of UK and European law enforcement agencies.

    This series discusses rape and sexual assault.
    28 January 2024, 4:40 pm
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