A CHARITY fundraiser says he is fighting “tooth and nail” to recover money raised to get “justice” for Eleanor Williams.
Shane Yerrell launched an online fundraiser in 2020 to support Williams after she went public with claims that she had been trafficked and sexually exploited.
Following her being convicted of perverting the course of justice, Mr Yerrell is now trying to direct the funds towards two charities.
He said there was a contract drawn up between him and Williams’ mum Allison Johnston which stipulated the money raised had to be used to bring a prosecution against her alleged perpetrators by July 23 this year.
Failing that, the £22,000 raised would be split between two charities.
But the Maggie Oliver Foundation – set up by a former Greater Manchester detective who acted as a whistleblower in the Rochdale grooming scandal – declined the money, saying it would be “unethical”.
And Barrow charity Women’s Community Matters decided to “politely decline” the funds.
Mr Yerrell, a prolific fundraiser and councillor based in Essex, is now fighting to recover the money from Mrs Johnston and hand it to two other charities.
He said the Liverpool-based James Bulger Memorial Trust was prepared to accept the money, while a Barrow-based charity is discussing it.
Shane Yerrell winning a JustGiving award (Image: JustGiving)
Mr Yerrell said it was “not right” that Mrs Johnston was currently retaining the money.
“There’s no logic to holding on to it to July,” he said.
“The money can never be used for what it’s intended.
“The good people who donated deserve their money to go to a worthy cause.
“It doesn’t seem fair to the people who donated and to two fantastic charities that could do productive work for people in desperate need.”
Mr Yerrell said he set up the JustGiving page in May 2020 before it became public knowledge that Williams had been charged with perverting the course of justice by making false claims and fabricating evidence.
But as the case came to trial, he later changed his mind on Williams’ claims and reached out to those she falsely accused.
“I would never have looked at that story and thought it was a lie,” he said.
“It’s left a bad taste in my mouth.”
Mr Yerrell, who began fundraising for charities in 2011, said he was subjected to abuse online for his role in raising money for Eleanor Williams and had recently needed to take time off work.
But he said the episode has now put him off fundraising.
“It’s taken away a bit of passion. What if this happens again?,'” he said.
Allison Johnston, a Labour councillor
The fundraiser said he would have liked for those who donated to be able to have their money refunded but it was not possible for a number of reasons.
Mrs Johnston refused to comment when she was approached by The Mail.
The Guardian’s north of England editor Helen Pidd reported that Mrs Johnston said the money was “the last of my worries given the situation my daughter is in” and it was “all” still there.
Mrs Johnston was reported to have said the contract allows her to keep the funds until July, giving her “time to think clearly about what the best way forward is”.
