Eleanor Williams, 22, from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, was convicted in January of nine counts of perverting the course of justice.
Sentencing her at Preston crown court yesterday, the judge, Mr Justice Altham, said her allegations were "complete fiction" and she showed "no significant signs of remorse".
Her claims went viral during lockdown in May 2020 when she posted photographs of herself on Facebook covered in shocking bruises, with a black eye and a partially severed finger. She said she had been beaten and made to attend "sex parties" by "evil yet clever" Asian men, mostly Pakistani business owners.
The allegations spread far beyond Cumbria and sparked a solidarity campaign, Justice for Ellie, with more than 100,000 Facebook members.
Cumbria police recorded 151 crimes linked to the case in 2020, including malicious communications and harassment, criminal damage and public order offences. Hate crimes tripled in Barrow that summer.
In a letter to the judge yesterday, Williams maintained her innocence but said she was "devastated" at how her Facebook post affected Barrow.
This story is from the March 15, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the March 15, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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