THE 'web of lies' spun by Eleanor Williams had a 'devastating' impact on those she falsely accused of sexual abuse, prosecutors have said.

The 22-year-old was convicted of multiple counts of perverting the course of justice after she was found to have made false reports of rape and human trafficking and fabricated evidence.

Wendy Lloyd, senior crown prosecutor with CPS North West’s rape and serious sexual offence unit, said the five named men she accused of abusing her - including one who was held on remand in prison - were now fully exonerated.

She said: “Eleanor Williams maliciously and persistently made false accusations against several men who had the misfortune of being acquainted with her.

“She knew what she was doing each time and made these false allegations intending that these men would be investigated, potentially prosecuted or even imprisoned as a result of her actions. One man was in prison on remand for over two months as a result of her accusations.

“The impact on those falsely accused has been devastating and this conviction now fully exonerates the men who she accused of serious sexual abuse."

She said Williams acted with 'malevolent intent'.

"The police and CPS take allegations of sexual offending extremely seriously," she said.

"Each of Eleanor Williams’s accusations were thoroughly investigated, until it became clear that they were completely and incontrovertibly untrue and made with malevolent intent.

“The CPS worked closely with Cumbria police to build a strong case to put before the jury.

"The web of lies Williams told began to unravel as evidence was produced including CCTV, linguistics experts, eyewitness accounts, mobile phone positioning data, medical reports and forensic evidence.

“False accusations of this kind are very rare. This has been an unusual case and it is important for victims of rape or sexual assault to understand that they should never fear coming forward to report the crime to police.

“The CPS will never prosecute somebody for perverting the course of justice simply because, for instance, there may be discrepancies in the evidence or because the victim chooses not to continue to support a case or if the prosecution stops the case, or if a jury finds the defendant not guilty.

“A prosecution will only be brought where there is clear evidence that allegations were provably false, maliciously made and that it is the public interest to do so.”