Celebs call for release of trafficking victim jailed for killing

A campaign to free a woman who was jailed for shooting a man who paid her for sex when she was 15 has won celebrity support.

Kim Kardashian West and Rihanna are among those lending their support to the Free Cyntoia campaign.

Cyntoia Brown, now 29, has served 13 years for shooting Johnny Allen, a man who had paid her for sex when she was 15.

According to the Associated Press, she had met Mr Allen after her abusive boyfriend, called Cutthroat, had hit her and sent her out to "earn some money".

Having gone home with Mr Allen, she testified that she became scared of his behaviour, and tried to sneak away.

Unable to, she said she wanted to nap, but he did not sleep, and kept standing over her.

When he rolled over, she shot him with a gun she pulled out of her bag. According to the prosecution in her case, she stole from him before leaving the house.

Brown said in court that she was scared of him and thought he had rolled over to pull a gun on her. Mr Allen had shown her several weapons when they arrived back at his house on 5 August 2004.

Despite being a child, she was tried as an adult on murder and prostitution and sentenced to life. She will not be free for parole until she is almost 70.

Brown did not deny killing him, but said it was self-defence, which the jury rejected.

The case became known through a PBS documentary called "Me Facing Life" and although she has been jailed since 2004, Brown's future is being fought for again.

Documentary maker Daniel Birman said: "We started the conversation [with Brown being] a young girl who's at the tail end of three generations of violence against women.

"She had no chance."

In police interviews, Brown talked about being choked to the point of passing out, and frequently raped by Cutthroat, who she said would not let her go because she made him money.

After the trial, it emerged that her mother drank regularly when she was pregnant, leading to her developing alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder. This evidence, which may have affected her behaviour, was not given to the jury.

Ms Kardashian West tweeted to say she had spoken with her own lawyers to determine if something could be done, and singer Rihanna also gave her backing.

But the prosecutor Jeff Burks told Fox 17: "There has been a group of people who have wanted to make Ms Brown a victim and a celebrity since this happened.

"She was not 'trafficked' nor was she a 'sex slave'. It's not fair to the victim and his family that the other side of this case is so seldom heard."

A petition set up on Move On has gathered more than 192,000 signatures, while more than 25,000 signed one on Change.org.

According to Newsweek, Brown has completed her Associate's Degree behind bars and is working on a Bachelor's, and also volunteers at the Juvenile Justice department.

Brown's case did bring some change to the law in Tennessee, where she was tried and now sits behind bars. Following her case, no one under the age of 18 can be charged with child prostitution.