Elizabeth Holmes sentenced to more than 11 years in prison – live updates

But for her many advocates and detractors, Friday’s sentence is unlikely to end the debate around whether Holmes was a well-intentioned humanitarian who got in over her head, or a charlatan in a turtleneck sweater who chose “deceit over candour”.

The Department of Justice left no doubt about the 38-year-old’s criminal intent. In a scathing 46-page sentencing memo, assistant US attorney Robert Leach described Theranos’ implosion as one of the most “substantial white collar offences Silicon Valley or any other district has seen”.

Leach wrote that the Theranos founder “preyed on hopes of her investors that a young, dynamic entrepreneur had changed healthcare”.

Meanwhile, Holmes’ legal team tried to portray her as a devoted mother, daughter and friend who tried to help countless others through her generosity and faith.

The Independent’s Bevan Hurley explores who Holmes really is:

Judge Edward Davila told the heavily pregnant former Theranos boss: ‘Failure is normal. But failure by fraud is not OK.’

“I am devastated by my failings. I have felt deep pain for what people went through, because I failed them,” Elizabeth Holmes told the judge through tears.

It was the first time Holmes had taken responsibility for the Theranos failure.

Alex Schultz, the father of Theranos whistleblower Tyler, read a victim impact statement to say that Holmes had taken a “wrecking ball” to his family.

He looked directly at Elizabeth Holmes as he said Tyler had feared for his life after she hired private investigators to pry into his life.

“My son slept with a knife under his pillow every night thinking somebody was going to come and murder him.”

Mr Schultz is the son of former secretary of state George Schultz, who was an early Theranos backer.

But for her many advocates and detractors, Friday’s sentence is unlikely to end the debate around whether Holmes was a well-intentioned humanitarian who got in over her head, or a charlatan in a turtleneck sweater who chose “deceit over candour”.

Judge Edward Davila told the heavily pregnant former Theranos boss: ‘Failure is normal. But failure by fraud is not OK.’

Before sentencing Holmes to 11 years and three months prison, Judge Edward Davila described the case as “so troubling on so many levels”.

“The tragedy of this case is Ms Holmes is brilliant, she had creative ideas. She’s big thinker. She was moving into an industry that was dominated by, let’s face it, male ego. She got into that world.”

With dozens of cameras trained on the main entrance to the federal courthouse in San Jose after her sentencing, Elizabeth Holmes ducked out of a side entrance.

She will have to report to corrections officials to begin her 11 year sentence in April.

John Carreyrou, whose reporting at the Wall Street Journal exposed problems at Theranos, was in court to see Holmes sentenced.

In comments outside the courthouse, the Bad Blood author said the sentence was “stiff” but appropriate given Holmes had put patients at risk.

But for her many advocates and detractors, Friday’s sentence is unlikely to end the debate around whether Holmes was a well-intentioned humanitarian who got in over her head, or a charlatan in a turtleneck sweater who chose “deceit over candour”.