A man who posted abusive images mocking the death of teenager Natasha MacBryde has been jailed.

Sean Duffy, aged 25, posted images on Facebook and a video on YouTube called Tasha the Tank Engine days after the teenager was found dead on a railway line near her home in Bromsgrove.

The practice - known as trolling - was branded ‘vile’ by Worcestershire coroner Geraint Williams at an inquest into Natasha’s death.

Duffy, of Grovelands Road, Reading, was jailed for 18 weeks and banned from using social networking sites for five years after admitting posting images mocking the deaths of four children.

As well as the images of fifteen-year-old Natasha, who took her own life, Reading Magistrates Court heard he had produced similar abusive images of Hayley Bates, Lauren Drew and Jordan Cooper.

Paul Warren, chairman of the magistrates' bench, said: "This case serves to illustrate the harm and damage done by the malicious misuse of social networking sites."

Duffy, who the court heard suffers with alcohol problems and has Asperger's syndrome, pleaded guilty to two offences under the Malicious Communications Act in relation to Natasha, who he did not know.

He asked for three further offences to be taken into consideration relating to the other youngsters.