An innocent man who his ex-girlfriend attempted to frame for stalking said her lies left him thinking he would be better off dead.
Lewis Jolly was arrested six times and spent 81 hours in custody thanks to Courtney Ireland-Ainsworth.
She set up more than 20 fake Instagram accounts to send herself 'vile' threats, then told police he was the culprit.
The teen even provided a photo of what she claimed was a scar to her chest, inflicted by him with a utility knife.
But her 'web of poisonous deceit' was exposed when Instagram's owners Facebook revealed the false profiles were in fact linked to her own email accounts and IP addresses.
Ireland-Ainsworth, now 20, of Brackendale, Runcorn, appeared for sentence yesterday after admitting perverting the course of justice.
Mr Jolly was in attendance at Liverpool Crown Court as Paul Blasbery, prosecuting, read out a victim statement he made last June.
The 22-year-old said he dated Ireland-Ainsworth for two years, until their relationship ended in October 2019 on 'okay terms'.
Mr Jolly, 22, said they were together for two years but split up on 'okay terms' in October 2019, before Ireland-Ainsworth (pictured) started seeing a new boyfriend, a man called Declan Rice
Mr Jolly said his ex-girlfriend's lies to police left him thinking he'd be better off dead
Courtney Ireland-Ainsworth has been jailed for 10 months at Liverpool Crown Court after lying to police over her ex-boyfriend
When she started seeing a new partner, he said 'there was no bad feelings between us', but in September 2020, she made the first of ten false police statements.
Mr Jolly said: 'I was charged with stalking offences and assaults that I had not committed. I was denied bail on one occasion and put before the court the next morning.
'I felt like I was very close to being remanded into custody for a crime I had not committed.'
The victim said being under investigation for four months was 'the worst experience of my life'.
Mr Jolly said police repeatedly turned up at his family's home in the early hours of the morning to arrest him, when officers searched the property and seized two of his mobile phones.
He said: 'In between each arrest I lived in a constant state of anxiety, thinking that the police were going to arrive at any minute and arrest me again.
'I told police that I wasn't behind these Instagram accounts and that I felt like I was being set up, but yet each time Ainsworth reported something, I was arrested again.
'I felt powerless and didn't know how to protect myself from these allegations. I felt frustrated as it felt like no one was listening to me.
She also told police he smashed items in her house, put a brick through her nan's window and threatened to stab her and her boyfriend
'At one stage I asked police to install CCTV in my address and to fit a GPS tracker to me, in an effort to prove my innocence.
'After my second mobile phone was seized by police, I decided not to get another one and no longer accessed social media or the internet. Other than going to work and occasionally going fishing, I stopped going out.
'I spent most of my time at home with my mum, so that I had an alibi for any future allegations.'
Ireland-Ainsworth told police her former partner was stalking and harassing her, had verbally and physically abused her, put a brick through her nan's window, and threatened to stab her and her new boyfriend.
Mr Jolly said repeatedly getting arrested and detained in custody for questioning cost him his job.
He said: 'This was frustrating for my employer. I explained to him that the allegations were malicious and that I hadn't done anything wrong and at first he was understanding, but in the end he had to let me go as I was repeatedly missing
