A FAMILY installed CCTV cameras around their home after a former business owner repeatedly posted offensive and abusive content about them online, a court heard.

Mohammed Ramzan, 44, one of the men caught up in Eleanor Williams' lies, posted the content in a Facebook group called ‘Justice for Ellie unfiltered’, the court was told.

The victims - Ian Piper and his daughter Ellie Reynolds - said they believed Ramzan had a ‘vendetta’ against the family, South Cumbria Magistrates Court heard.

Prosecutor Peter Kelly said Ramzan was responsible for a ‘number of social media posts which caused difficulties and issues’ to the family.

One of the posts read: ‘Racist paedophile begets, we all know the ones in Barrow including Piper and Reynolds’, the court heard.

Ms Reynolds said she had been subject to ‘constant taunting and horrific comments’ from the defendant, which led to her believing she would lose the custody of her child.

In her VPS read out to the court, Ms Reynolds said: “When I go out, I feel like people judge me before they even know me.”

Mr Kelly said the family had also been forced to install CCTV cameras around their house and put trackers on their phones as a result of Ramzan posting a picture of their house on social media.

Ramzan's solicitor John Halewood-Dodd said: “He is willing to accept what he did was wrong.

“I am instructed not to go into the finer details of the tit for tat because there is a national interest. Ramzan was involved in that. I say no more than that."

Williams had falsely claimed Ramzan had groomed her before trafficking her to Amsterdam to be sold at an auction for €25,000.

She was jailed for eight-and-a-half years in March 2023 for perverting the course of justice.

Mr Kelly said the defendant must have done some research into Ms Reynolds' TikTok archive after he posted a picture of her from 2020 on Facebook on February 5 last year.

There was also a FB live video he recorded saying in an angry tone: ‘I will be coming for them all’, the court heard.

Ramzan's solicitor added: "He has lost his business as a result, has been spat on in the street and has been targeted.

“As a result of this, he is now leaving the area with his wife and children and is no longer going to be a resident of Barrow.”

He admitted two counts of harassment without violence between January 18 2023 – May 15 2023 on the day of his trial on February 8 last month and was sentenced for the offences on Friday (March 15). 

The court heard Ramzan, of Douglas Street on Walney, was subject to a community order for another previous offence of harassment without violence relating to a different complainant on May 26 2022.

He was also sentenced on Friday for failing to comply with the requirements of that order.

Chair of the bench Sharon Gillam sentenced Ramzan to a 24-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, with a requirement to complete 10 RAR days.

When sentencing the defendant, she said: “These offences were carried out over a prolonged period of time.

“We believe these offences cross the custody threshold. A custodial sentence is appropriate because there is a previous like offence.

“However, there has been no further harassment for a lengthy period of time and we find that there is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.”

Ramzan was also ordered to pay £100 in court costs and a £154 surcharge.