On May 19, 2020, police discovered her close to her home, disoriented and suffering from head wounds she believed were caused by a group of men who kidnapped and raped her.
But detectives grew suspicious after discovering a claw hammer with her blood on it nearby, and after unraveling her web of deceit, charged her with perverting the course of justice.
Police believe she was inspired to make up the claims after watching the BBC drama Three Girls about the Rochdale grooming scandal.
She accused local Asian businessman, Mohammed Ramzan, of being the leader of the gang and told police that he had smuggled her to Amsterdam and Ibiza, where she was forced to work in a brothel.
Preston Crown Court heard how some of Williams’ claims mirrored the plot of the Liam Neeson film Taken, in which a girl is sold into sex slavery on the continent.
Williams used fake social media posts in an attempt to frame Mr. Ramzan, but when detectives began investigating, his passport records showed he had not been to Amsterdam or Ibiza.
Mr Ramzan received hundreds of death threats as a result of the false allegations and said his life was completely ruined as a result.
Williams accused a series of other local men of trafficking and abusing her, sometimes engaging in conversations with them online before changing their names on her devices to make them appear as if they were members of a Asian grooming gang.
She also hijacked the social media accounts of random unsuspecting men she met online to manipulate posts and make it seem like she was being groomed.
One of the victims was an Essex supermarket worker, who believed he was in contact with a Portsmouth woman.
Prosecutors told the jury, “The defendant goes online to her social media contacts and basically finds random names on the Internet that she presents as trafficking victims or perpetrators.”
Testifying at trial Williams fully denied fabricating the allegations and claimed she had told the truth.
‘I wanted people to know what was going on’
When asked why she posted the allegations on Facebook, she said: “I wanted people to know what was going on in Barrow is still going on.”
But Williams now faces jail after a jury found her guilty of eight counts of committing acts intended to pervert the course of justice.
She had already pleaded guilty to another charge at an earlier hearing.
Honorary Recorder of Preston Judge Robert Altham adjourned the sentencing until March 13 and 14.
Detective Chief Superintendent Stalker said: “It’s important that people understand that these were far from victimless crimes.
“Williams baselessly claimed she was a victim of Asian grooming gangs and named specific individuals responsible for the trafficking and abuse of her – individuals who, after a thorough investigation, were found not to have committed such crimes.
In a number of cases, her allegations led to innocent men being arrested by officers who, understandably, took such horrific allegations seriously. In one case, a young man was arrested and held in custody.
“Williams had provided compelling evidence in reporting her abuse, while her posts on Facebook sparked community commotion, heightened community tensions and negatively affected trust in the police.
“While detectives investigated her accounts, they found evidence that Williams had not only lied, but fabricated evidence to support her allegations, including creating fake Snapchat accounts and inflicting injury on herself.”