[Mrluvaluva]

VILE Keeley Houghton was yesterday jailed for internet bullying following a string of website taunts against a teenager - which included a threat to "murder the bitch".

She became the first person in Britain to be caged over such attacks after a merciless campaign against victim Emily Moore.

Houghton - now 18 - wrote in her home page profile on the social networking website Facebook: "Keeley is going to murder the bitch. She is an actress. What a *******ing liberty. Emily *******head Moore."

She was lambasted for her cruelty by District Judge Bruce Morgan, who told her: "Since Emily Moore was 14 you have waged compelling threats and violent abuse towards her.

"Bullies are, by their nature, cowards - in school and society. The evil, odious effects of being bullied stay with you for life.

"On this day you did an act of gratuitous nastiness to satisfy your own twisted nature."

Houghton began her campaign when she and Emily were both 14 and at the same school.

But her spiteful attacks - verbal and physical - took a sinister turn after she joined Facebook.

After cowardly Houghton was tracked down and questioned about the internet death threat she tried to weasel her way out of trouble, Worcester magistrates' court heard.

She told cops she typed the words while drunk late at night and had no memory of it.

But when detectives examined internet records they found she wrote the comments at 4pm on July 12 this year and kept them on her Facebook page for 24 hours.

Cocky Houghton arrived at court laughing and chatting with about a dozen male and female supporters.

But there were gasps and tears from the gaggle when she was sentenced.

Unemployed Houghton sobbed as she was taken away to spend three months in a young offenders' institution after admitting harassment.

She was also put under a restraining order banning her from contacting Emily, 18, in any way - including via the internet - for five years.

The court had heard that two days before writing the Facebook threat Houghton approached Emily as she was drinking with her boyfriend in The Vault Inn, in Malvern, Worcs, and put her arm around her.

Prosecutor Sara Stock said: "Later, when Emily was sitting on her own, the defendant came over and sat next to her and asked, 'Can I have a huggle?' Emily told the defendant to leave her alone otherwise she would call the police.

"Keeley then told her, 'I'll give you something to ring the police about'."

Houghton, of Malvern, was found guilty of assaulting Emily in 2005 as she walked home from school. The thug was expelled.

Two years later she was convicted of causing criminal damage after kicking Emily's front door.


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