A MAN who was accused by Eleanor Williams of trafficking her across the north of England and abroad has described how he attempted suicide amid a social media backlash over her claims.

Williams, 22, said business owner Mohammed Ramzan had trafficked her since the age of 12, threatened to kill her and attempted to sell her in Amsterdam.

But Mr Ramzan, a dad of four, denied ever having any contact with Williams. She was convicted by a jury of multiple charges of perverting the course of justice.

He received a torrent of abuse on social media after Williams made claims of being raped and trafficked by an Asian grooming gang public in May 2020.

It led to threats, intimidation and slurs, as well as damage to his home and vehicles, he said.

Speaking from his Walney home, where a CCTV monitor sits next to his television, Mr Ramzan, commonly known as Mo Rammy, revealed the impact of the false claims on him and his family.

Mr Ramzan, who ran a number of restaurants in Barrow and also had an ice cream van, said: "It absolutely ruined me to the point where I smashed a bottle on my head.

"I wanted to kill myself because of the damage it did.

"The reputation I'd made was ruined.

"My neighbours turned on me. People dropped me.

"I lived in hell."

In July 2019, Mr Ramzan was arrested by police on suspicion of human trafficking and investigated for three weeks but no charges were ever brought.

As the claims reached the public in 2020, Mr Ramzan said he received hundreds of threatening or abusive messages via Facebook, not just from people in Barrow, but as far away as America.

"It was like the whole world was against me - literally the whole world," he said.

He said some of those who abused him in the street or on social media had since apologised.

The Mail: Mo Rammy outside his former restaurant, Mr Elephant, on WalneyMo Rammy outside his former restaurant, Mr Elephant, on Walney (Image: Newsquest)

Mr Ramzan was among five named men accused by Williams of being involved in rape or human trafficking.

She was found guilty of eight counts of perverting the course of justice, including two directly relating to Mr Ramzan, and is due to be sentenced in March.

Williams alleged Mr Ramzan had been involved in trafficking her to Amsterdam to be sold for sex during a trip to the Dutch city in 2018.

But police found Mr Ramzan had been shopping at B&Q in Barrow on the dates in question.

Williams also said he had been involved in trafficking her to 'parties' in Blackpool where she was forced to have sex with multiple men

The court heard Williams later changed her story about the incidents in Blackpool, telling police she had been told to lie by members of a grooming gang as a 'test'.

Reacting to the verdict, Mr Ramzan said he was 'absolutely ecstatic', adding: "The truth has come out."

Moving forward Mr Ramzan now wants to change social media regulations to stem the tide of abuse towards people online.

On his thought towards Williams, he said: "I've forgiven her for what she put my family through - otherwise I wouldn't be able to carry on."