Preston teen made vile threats to children on social media after asking them to send sexual pictures

Krishna Navekar, of Margaret Road, Penwortham, was 16 when he contacted two 14-year-old girls on Snapchat, a social media app.

Preston Magistrates' Court was told the first contact was made on May 26, 2018, and his conversation soon turned sexual.

He persuaded the first girl to send an intimate picture of herself - but then threatened to expose the pictures to her family unless she sent further videos of herself.

The second victim was contacted on June 25, 2018.

Navekar demanded she sent intimate pictures of herself, and also made threats to rape and kill her, but the brave youngster did not send any pictures.

A Lancashire Police probe was launched and officers traced the Snapchat account to him and arrested him on July 23, 2018.

The court heard after seizing his computer equipment, investigators found indecent images of children on his computer.

They included 28 images deemed category A - the most serious in legal terms - with a further 97 at category B and 120 at category C.

There were also six prohibited images and a pornographic image involving a woman and animal.

Navekar pleaded guilty to intentionally causing a girl aged 14 to engage in sexual activity, two counts of sending an electronic communication which conveyed a threat, three of making indecent images of children, possessing prohibited images and possessing an extreme image.

The court heard he was of good character and had immediately accepted his wrong doing.

District Judge Jane Goodwin acknowledged he had made immediate admissions to the police, and that in July 2018, he was only 16 himself.

She said the defendant. who is hoping to go to university, could be dealt with in the community as he had " now matured to an adult and is a different person."

He must pay £100 compensation to each of the girls and is subject to a 10 month contract with the youth offending team to address his offending.