22 March 2023 , 07:43
458
0
A dad-of-four who was falsely accused of being the head of a grooming gang has revealed how his son self-harmed as a result of the lies.
Mohammed Ramzan was one of several men who fell victim to fantasist Eleanor Williams, who was jailed for eight-and-a-half years last week for perverting the course of justice.
The 43-year-old, from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, has previously said he attempted suicide in light of the lies.
He also told the Mirror he is planning to sue the police and the Home Office for the torment he says the investigation caused him.
Williams, 22, made a series of false rape allegations in a Facebook post that included graphic images of injuries she claimed to have sustained.
Sherlock Holmes Museum boss wins fight to evict brother from home in 10-year row
Eleanor Williams was jailed for eight-and-a-half years (AP)
Fantasist Williams posted photos of her supposed injuries on Facebook (Facebook)Business owner Mr Ramzan told Dan Walker on 5 News that he found his son had "sliced his arms" as he struggled to deal with the false allegations.
He said: "It was half past one and I have gone to use the loo, his room’s next door, there's lights on and I walked in, and you see your son and… because we were all keeping each other strong, but we weren't exposing anything how it was affecting.”
He added: “I denied my family in the sense of not knowing what all the difficulties they were going through.
Mr Ramzan with his wife Nicola Holt, outside court (PA)"You know, my wife's a very strong independent person and she was going with her friends and now she would go offload there not with me.
"My sons, how they were affected… I didn't really sit with them or talk about it, it was just 'I'm taking them on, we're not running away'.
"And there was a point of where everybody, my sons wanting to move out and I was like, 'No, we're not'."
He continued: "And my son, he turned around and goes 'you know you, Dad, you're known as a paedo.
"Everyone claims, everywhere on social media, my friends, this is a horrible town..."
Mr Ramzan said his son then felt guilty before he attempted suicide "in front of my children, my wife and Jonathan, my friend".
"And if he didn't grab my hands, it would have been a different story possibly, I might not have been here,” he said.
Protesters planned to kidnap King Charles waxwork and hold it hostage
When asked by Dan Walker what he thinks of Williams now she’s been convicted and will do time for what she did to him and others, he said: “I feel relieved with that. I'm happy about that.
"But my concern is the damage she's actually done for real victims... the rape cases are already so difficult to prove you know, and what has she actually done to sisterhood with the real victims, and the damage that she's done to us and the rest of them?"
The Samaritans is available 24/7 if you need to talk. You can contact them for free by calling 116 123, email [email protected] or head to the website to find your nearest branch. You matter.