Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing
A brand new Channel 4 documentary has left viewers both heartbroken and blindsided since airing last night.
Accused: The Hampstead Paedophile Hoax, a one-off hour-long program, tells the haunting true story of a child's sex abuse accusation spiralling into a satanic cult conspiracy theory that gripped the globe.
For those unfamiliar with the heinous UK case of alleged paedophilia, murder and a subsequent witch-hunt, the heart-stopping story dates all the way back to 2015.
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Nine years ago, two Hampstead-born children - a nine-year-old school girl named 'Abigail' and her eight-year-old brother 'Joseph' - went viral on social media after a video of them claiming to have been forced to 'do sex' with a number of staff at their school, as well as by the parents of several of their classmates.
"They touch me," the girl could be heard saying, before the boy went on to claim, "they'll stick in our bottoms."
The chilling allegations - which quickly went viral online - didn't end there, however, after the youngsters went on to claim that the parents were also abusing their own children.
Furthermore, they alleged the existence of a satanic cult in the community, in which these supposed child abusers were murdering babies and eating their flesh.
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Arguably even more shocking was that the children's mother, Ella Draper, later went on to publish an online statement of her own, confirming the allegations.
She told viewers that some of her fellow parents were involved in a paedophile group that saw babies be abused with the likes of 'rat traps and have their necks cut'.
The parents said to be involved in the crimes immediately denied all accusations, and after the children were re-interviewed by police, they eventually confessed that their statements were completely and utterly made up.
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The kids went on to claim that their mother Ella and her controlling, criminally convicted boyfriend Abraham had physically abused them and forced them to make the accusations up.
By this point, however, news of Hampstead's alleged child abuse ring had spread like wildfire, and had even reached the farthest corners of the world.
During this time, Ella's children were taken into care, and she hired an unqualified lawyer named Sabina McNeill, who released a list of the alleged school-attending victims, adding a special reference on whether or not these children 'liked sex' or otherwise.
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Thousands of anti-paedophile vigilantes who believed the children went on to accuse the investigating authorities of 'covering up' the crimes, and the hoax developed into a full-fledged conspiracy theory.
Not only were photos of the alleged young 'victims' published online by these internet users, but the details - including addresses - of the parents were leaked.
The accused parents and their children's lives were put at risk as a result, after some of the more severe of these theorists planned to 'break down their doors and take their blood' as a result of the rumours.
On top of this, some of the nine parents involved claimed to have received messages from sex offenders, asking to meet up with their child.
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One of the nine heartbroken parents accused of the crimes told viewers: "The only important job you have in life is to protect your child. To have a potential threat towards them is a mum's worst nightmare."
Terrified for the lives, the small collection of parents soon banded together in secret, infiltrating several of the threatening online groups to get to the bottom of the harassment campaign.
As the documentary explains, eventually, Sabina McNeill was jailed for her accusations, as were several other activists who threatened to harm the parents involved.
And since Accused: The Hampstead Paedophile Hoax aired last night, Channel 4 viewers have been left both nauseated and mind-blown that the allegations reached the extent they did.
Taking to social media last night, one penned: "Accused on channel 4 is absolutely insane and it’s only ten minutes in"
Another went on: "This accused thing on channel 4 is wild 'We kill the babies and dance with the skulls' Ok children of the corn, calm the f**k down! #accused"
"On @channel4 an incredible, terrifying film #Accused: The Hampstead Paedophile Hoax by the brilliant @8EmilyTurner8 about what happens when online conspiracies enter the real world. Huge thanks to the women who tell their stories," a third went on.
Another continued: "This is the most incredible Channel 4 programme #accused"
While a fifth added: "Watching #Accused - The Hampstead Paedophile Hoax on @Channel4 and it is truly horrifying. So hard to believe it’s all true. My heart goes out to those poor parents, and you can only hope the children aren’t scarred by the whole thing. So sad."
Topics: Crime, True Crime, Channel 4, TV And Film, Documentaries, Parenting
Rhianna Benson