Mother of woman who made up story about Asian grooming gang is accused of not returning donation money

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Allison Johnston, a now-suspended Labor Party member on Barrow Borough Council, has yet to return the money donated to her daughter Eleanor William’s legal justice fund, according to reports.

Shane Yerrell, a Tory councilor in Essex, England, who organized the appeal to get the money back, reportedly vowed to retrieve the money and use it for charity.

“There is no grooming gang, so the money can never be spent on what it was meant to be spent on,” Yerrell said, as quoted by the Daily Mail.

Eleanor Williams, now 22 years old, was sentenced on Tuesday to eight-and-a-half years in prison after being convicted of eight counts of acts tending and intended to pervert the course of justice in January.

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Despite Williams’ conviction in January, Yerrell claimed that Johnston has still not returned the money.

He also added that the Williams' mother “ignored” his messages when he asked her to donate 3,000 pounds (approximately $3,670) to help the family of a terminally ill 3-year-old girl bring her to Lapland UK, a tourist attraction in England.

Yerrell, who also helped organize the Get Justice for Ellie fund, addressed Johnston in a YouTube interview with DMC Daily, telling the woman, “As a mother, you should put yourself in that little girl’s mother’s situation... I think it’s disgusting to hold on to [the money].”

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The Essex Tory councilor raised over 22,129 pounds (approximately $27,000) — 21,104 pounds (approximately $26,000) after fees were subtracted — through the JustGiving platform in 2020 to support Williams.

Yerrell agreed that the money would be split between the charities Maggie Oliver Foundation and Women’s Community Matters if no alleged abusers were put behind bars. Although the two charities have already declined the money, Yerrell said two other charities would receive the donated funds.

Yerrell has reportedly been trying to get the money back from Johnston since February.

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Speaking to the Mirror at the time, Yerrell called out Johnston for keeping the money, saying it “seems wrong for the family to have the cash.”