Cyntoia Brown was just 16 when she was jailed for shooting dead Johnny Mitchell Allen, an estate agent who had picked her up for sex off the streets of Nashville, Tennessee, in August 2004.

During her trial, the teenager testified that she had been raped and was on drugs for weeks before being taken to Allen’s house. When she arrived there, she said he showed her his gun collection and told her he was former Army sharpshooter, which made her nervous.

“He grabbed me in-between my legs – he just grabbed it real hard,” she told the court. “I’m thinking he’s going to hit me or do something like it…”

Brown said she was convinced she was about to die, and claimed the shooting was self-defence. But the prosecution argued that the teen killed Allen because she wanted to steal from him (she fled afterwards with his wallet and guns). The jury agreed, and Brown was handed a life sentence, after she was found guilty as an adult of first-degree premeditated murder, first-degree felony murder, and aggravated robbery.

Brown was currently serving life in prison in America, where she will be eligible for parole from the age of 67, at the earliest. But now, thanks to a high-profile campaign – involving celebrities such as Rihanna, Cara Delevingne and Kim Kardashian – asking for her release, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam ordered her release, after almost 15 years behind bars.

Today the now-31-year-old walked free after serving 15 years in prison. Speaking to the New York Times, Brown said: “I look forward to using my experiences to help other women and girls suffering abuse and exploitation.”

Cyntoia Brown: Rihanna campaigned for her release, now she is finally free