A woman has been jailed for sending herself 'vile' threats from up to 30 fake Instagram accounts she created in attempts to get her ex-boyfriend locked up.
Courtney Ireland-Ainsworth, 20, of Brackendale, Runcorn, made 10 police statements and claimed that her former partner Louis Jolly, 22, threatened to stab her.
She also told police that Mr Jolly was harassing and stalking her, which led to him being arrested six times.
After spending 81 hours in custody, Mr Jolly was charged with assault and was given a stalking protection order, along with a home curfew, an electronic tag, and even lost his job.
Recorder Ian Harris today told Ireland-Ainsworth: "You created an entirely fictional but superficially credible web of poisonous deceit for over five months."
He added: "You stated after he had been arrested the stalking became worse.
"You provided images of damage to property and you yourself, as to where you said he knifed you with a Stanley knife, and there was a scar on your chest."
In her fourth statement on 21 October, she claimed Louis told her new boyfriend online: "Wait til I see her, she is getting a f***ing blade in her chest fully this time."
Louis told the court: "I lost weight as a result of this. It was affecting my sleep - I couldn't relax. I found that I struggled to sleep and when I could, it was broken.
"I've suffered panic attacks. I found that I was agitated and jumpy, particularly at night, and if someone knocked on the front door.
"At my lowest point I felt like life wasn't worth living and thought to myself that I'd be better off dead."
However, when police received the data from Facebook, it showed at least 17 Instagram accounts created using two of Ireland-Ainsworth's email addresses and IP addresses connected to her home and mobile phone.
She was arrested and interviewed on 12 December, 2020, when she confessed, before the Crown Prosecution Service discontinued stalking and assault allegations against Mr Jolly.
Paul Blasbery, prosecuting, said: "She attempted to minimise during that interview what she had done. She eventually admitted it.
"She stated her ex-boyfriend Mr Jolly was hassling her, but in order to make the police believe it she sent false messages to the police so that they would take it seriously."
Jim Smith, defending, claimed his client, who was 19 at the time, suffered from PTSD.
He said: "She would have handled that breakdown [in the relationship] substantially differently than any other individual who was not subject to a mental disorder."
The lawyer added: "The defendant and her family are truly sorry for what has occurred in this case."
Recorder Harris added: "In the pre-sentence report you admitted messaging yourself from 20 to 30 fake Instagram accounts that you set up.
"You said, I quote, 'you wanted to hurt Mr Jolly and you didn't see that your actions were selfish'.
"You caused untold emotional harm to a completely innocent man and his family. He suffered anguish for months."
Locking her up for 10 months and making a 10-year restraining order, Recorder Harris concluded: "I extend considerable sympathy to the Jolly family for what they have had to suffer at your hands."
Anish Vij