Eleanor Williams trial: Accused abuser says lie made life hell

Eleanor Williams, 21, is on trial at Preston Crown Court

An ice cream seller was put through "hell" by a woman falsely accusing him of sex offences, a court has heard.

Eleanor Williams, 21, from Barrow, Cumbria, is accused of perverting the course of justice by claiming she was raped by numerous men and trafficked for sex.

One of the men, Mohammed Ramzan, told Preston Crown Court her claims were "disgusting".

Ms Williams claimed he groomed her to have sex with others, which he denied.

Jurors have heard Ms Williams claimed Mr Ramzan was violent and abusive and sold her at an auction in Amsterdam.

Mr Ramzan told the court he lived and worked with his wife and two sons as a "good, honest, family unit".

'Not an angel'

Asked by Louise Blackwell KC, defending, if he made money from selling girls for sex, he said: "No, I have never, ever in my life.

"I've got a daughter myself, I've got nieces. It's disgusting.

"Don't you think you have put my life through enough hell, or your client has?"

He also said he had never been involved in supplying or selling drugs, although he added: "I'm not going to say I've never used them. I'm not an angel."

'Irrelevant questions'

Mr Ramzan said his ice-cream van business was "interfered with" as a result of the allegations with multiple police stops.

The jury heard transcripts of police interviews with Mr Ramzan after he was arrested as a result of the allegations in July 2019.

He answered "no comment" when asked whether he made enough money from his business to maintain his lifestyle, whether he had anything else to supplement his income and if he had any debt.

He told the court: "It's irrelevant to what they were questioning about."

Ms Williams denies seven counts of doing acts tending and intended to pervert the course of justice.

The trial continues.