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Thomas Berry, 26, said he “never forgave” Ellie Steele for breaking up with him when they were 16. When she got a job at non-league Dorchester Town FC, where Steele was a football coach and social media officer, he set about getting revenge.

He stole her identity to set up dozens of Instagram profiles in her name. Posing as her, he sent male strangers suggestive messages and promised to send naked pictures.

He also made it appear that Ms Steele made pornography videos for the OnlyFans site.

Ms Steele, 26, only discovered the fake accounts when she got messages demanding the images she had apparently promised. She reported the accounts to Instagram but Berry deactivated them before he could be caught – only to launch new ones.

Berry, of Poundbury, Dorchester, Dorset, admitted stalking Ms Steele between May and October last year.

He dodged jail and was only given a five-year restraining order by Poole magistrates despite prosecutors asking it be life-long.

Berry was also ordered to pay his victim £400 compensation.

Although the charge covered a period of five months, Ms Steele said the vendetta lasted six years.

In her statement to the court, she said “I have stopped using social media. I don’t trust anyone. I have lost all of my confidence.” She has demanded that social platforms do more to shut down fake accounts.

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