Snapchat threats from ex-partner were faked by woman, court hears

Sinead Nelson told police her ex-partner threatened to rape her and burn her alive

A woman who faked violent threats from her ex-partner has been jailed.

Sinead Nelson, 28, of Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, claimed the man had threatened to rape her, burn her alive and had threatened her children.

At Northampton Crown Court, Nelson admitted intending to pervert the course of public justice by making false allegations and destroying evidence and was jailed for 37 months.

Northamptonshire Police said she had put her ex-partner "through hell".

In September 2020, Nelson, of Victoria Street, reported him to police, saying he had contacted her via social media and made threats.

Two months later, she claimed he had sent her a picture of her home and threatened to go there to rape her and burn her alive.

He was quickly arrested and Nelson was rehoused as an emergency case and given a new phone.

However, officers became suspicious when they discovered the photograph of the house had actually been lifted from a property website.

Her ex-partner denied all the allegations and provided evidence to support his innocence.

The Metropolitan Police worked with the Northamptonshire force to bring Sinead Nelson to justice

The Metropolitan Police told colleagues in Northamptonshire that they were investigating Nelson, also known as Kylie Howard, after she made reports about the same man earlier in 2020, claiming he had raped and assaulted her and sent malicious messages on social media.

They discovered she had logged into another account on Snapchat and sent the malicious messages to herself.

Det Con Eleanor Hudson of Northamptonshire Police said: "In his victim statement, the man detailed the horrendous impact this has all had on him, including considerable emotional distress about what he had been accused of, the loss of friendships and family support as a result, having to leave his home, and losing his job.

"He told us that Nelson had threatened to destroy his life, and in his view, she succeeded.

"I very much hope that now she has admitted her guilt and has been given a prison sentence, he is able to continue moving towards a more positive future."