Imprisonment

Li Yanxia was found guilty at Wu'an Court in Hebei province on Wednesday of extortion, fraud, forgery and disturbing social order.

The former orphanage owner, who was once nicknamed "Love Mother", was also fined 2.67m yuan (£311,000; $388,000).

Fifteen accomplices, including her boyfriend, were also convicted.

The court found that Li Yanxia - also known as Li Lijuan - had "abused the orphanage's influence".

The Pakamotu group had been defying the French state for years by purporting to have its own government.

Last year, Athanase Teiri was convicted in the criminal court and given a nine-month jail term for circulating a fake currency and for intimidation.

On appeal, the sentence was increased by three months to a year.

He and his backers distributed the so-called patu as part of his claim that it would be replacing the French Pacific franc.

The woman was confined to a trailer that belonged to a family acquaintance "for at least a couple of weeks," East Feliciana Parish Sheriff Jeff Travis said. Her 11-year-old daughter was with her.

On Tuesday, the mother slipped a note to her daughter that she was scared and being held against her will. The girl brought it to East Feliciana Middle School and gave it to officials, Travis said.

"It's very alarming when a student shows up with a note asking for help," Travis said.