A hoax in which Hampstead parents and teachers were accused of being part of a Satanic paedophile ring will be the focus of a forthcoming documentary.
The false allegations of child abuse came after videos of two young children published online featured baseless claims that they were sexually abused by a satanic cult operating out of Christ Church and the adjacent primary school in Hampstead.
Broadcaster Channel 4 has commissioned a 90-minute film that shows how the conspiracy spread online, leading to death threats, harassment and abuse - much of which continues today.
A description reads: “The mothers at the heart of this chilling story speak for the first time in this ambitious feature-length documentary, which blends real archive footage and interviews, with lip-sync drama.”
Parents’ addresses, phone numbers and even the names of their young children had been published online along with the claims, as well as a list of names and contact details of innocent teachers, police officers and a priest.
The story in the videos was entirely made up, concocted by their mother Ella Draper’s - new boyfriend Abraham Christie.
A High Court found the children were “tortured” into making the claims by being punched, kicked and doused with water while semi-clothed.
The allegations plagued the lives of the accused. Footage shows screaming demonstrators chasing a vicar through Hampstead, a US conspiracy theorist flying to London to investigate and even ‘rescue’ the children, and online threats of kidnap and far worse.
With exclusive audio testimony of the accused mothers at the centre of this story, lip-synced by actors, and interviews from the conspiracy theorists, director Emily Turner’s film explores the real-world impact of an outrageous online conspiracy theory.
Executive producer Peter Beard said: “Emily’s film is a remarkable, terrifying and timely tale.
“The women at the heart of this story have been so brave in letting us tell their incredible fight for justice. Their story shows that any of us could wake up one morning and find ourselves in the middle of an internet conspiracy.
“The question is whether we’d have the strength to fight back in the way they did.”
Shaminder Nahal, head of specialist factual, who commissioned the film, added: “Emily Turner and Story Films have made a remarkable film that is so shocking and yet so relatable - asking huge questions about truth, trauma and justice. The courage of the women at the centre of the story is extraordinary, and the impact of their testimony so profound.”
The film will be distributed by All3 International. A broadcast date has not yet been revealed.
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