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A woman was sentenced last night in France to 2 years and 9 months in prison after a high-profile case that began 10 years ago when she went into hiding with her young daughter after accusing her ex-husband of raping the child, reported AFP and DPA.

The verdict was handed down by an appeals court in the southern French city of Aix-en-Provence.

Shortly after her divorce in 2010, the woman reported that her ex-husband had raped their then five-year-old daughter.

However, after several conversations with the child, the authorities terminated the investigation into the case, writes BTA.

Two years in prison for a Romanian deported six times from Britain

Then, in 2011, the mother disappeared with her daughter, despite having been awarded joint custody of the child.

The two were not seen until February last year, when they were discovered in Switzerland.

Now the grown-up girl lives with a foster family, France Enfo radio reported.

The girl also allegedly accused her father of psychological harassment and mental and sexual abuse.

The case has raised eyebrows in France, with several celebrities expressing their solidarity with the mother and saying they would have done the same in her place.

A petition to acquit the mother has gathered over 12,000 signatures.