Charges laid in acid attack hoax

Bethany Storro is facing theft charges after falsely telling police that a stranger threw acid in her face.

Storro garnered sympathy across the country when she told police a black woman had thrown acid in her face while she was walking in a park in Vancouver, Washington. Several local businesses held fundraisers for her, and she collected a total of $28,000. Storro has since revealed that she smeared drain cleaner on her face in a bid to kill herself and decided to lie about it afterwards. She is disfigured as a result of the incident. Although she is believed to be in a fragile mental state, prosecutors have decided to charge her with theft for accepting the money. She cold face up to five years in jail.