A TWISTED teenager raped and murdered a six-year-old girl after becoming obsessed by internet ­horror character The Slender Man.

The 16-year-old was a serial killer in the making who got sick thrills from the meme, a source revealed.

14 Alesha MacPhail was found dead in woodland in July last year on the Isle of Bute, Scotland Credit: Social Media

14 Her killer got sick thrills from playing gory video games and officers found evidence he searched online for The Slender Man

He faces life in jail for murdering Alesha MacPhail on the Scottish island of Bute.

A source said: “He’s an utterly warped individual.”

The teenager got sick thrills from playing gory video games and officers found evidence he searched online for Slender Man before abducting and killing Alesha MacPhail.

Slender Man - the creepy meme's bloody trail The Slender Man is a child-catching suited creature with gangly arms and legs who drags kids into woodland. Eric ‘Victor Surge’ Knudsen submitted an image of the fictional character to an online forum called Something Awful. Knudsen's intention was to "formulate something whose motivations can barely be comprehended, and [which caused] unease and terror in a general population". His creation soon went viral as fan-art and reams of online fiction soon followed. The creepy stories are usually centred around him stalking, abducting or traumatising people - especially children. And the fictional character soon grew into an internet horror sensation with a sinister following. In 2014, two teenagers were inspired to kill a classmate because they believed Slender Man was real. Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser, both now 17, held down and stabbed their classmate Payton Leutner, in 2014 after luring her to woods in Wisconson, US. She was knifed 19 times and left for dead survived the attack and managed to crawl out of the woods where she was found by a cyclist with stab wounds to her chest, abdomen and arms. Weier and Gyser were caught walking into the woods after the attack, in the hope of meeting The Slender Man. A Hollywood film based on the character was released last year but was panned by critics.

A source said: “Slender Man searches were found and it chilled seasoned investigators to the bone.

"Some of the circumstances between what this character does and what happened to Alesha were carbon copies.”

The Slender Man was invented by forum users in 2009 for a paranormal Photoshop competition.

But soon other fans were coming up with their own stories.

KILLER OBSESSION

The tall, thin, featureless man dressed in a black suit, kidnaps and kills children, often dragging them into woods.

Alesha’s killer displayed his bloodlust when recording himself playing violent video games.

In one blood-spattered sequence, unearthed by police, he blurts out “stab” and “shank”.

In a second, there is a chilling echo of Alesha’s abduction as he brags about sneaking into a family home in the dead of night.

And in another he is heard shrieking: “This is hell. No, no, no, stop. Help, help, help. That is Slender Man right there.”

BRUTAL MURDER

Alesha was last seen when she was put to bed on July 1 last year, days into a three-week break at her grandmother’s home in Rothesay on the Scottish island of Bute.

Her naked body was found in woodland in the grounds of an abandoned hotel. She had been smothered and had catastrophic wounds to her private parts.

Alesha, who was just 3ft 9ins tall, suffered 117 injuries and died from "forceful pressure to her neck and face".

But she had no marks on her feet, suggesting her murderer had carried her from her home.

The killer’s mum tipped off detectives after seeing CCTV of her son coming and going three times in the night. Separate footage captured an eerie figure walking along the shoreline carrying something.

DNA from the teenager was found on Alesha’s body and clothes.

CHILLING POSTS TO PALS

The trial heard Alesha’s father had sold the killer cannabis but they fell out over a £10 debt.

He missed several calls from the killer’s phone on the night before his daughter, from Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, was abducted.

Hours after the killing, the teenager googled “how do police find DNA”, the jury was told.

Later that day, he sent a video of the top half of his body to friends in a Snapchat group, posting: “Found the guy who’s done it.”

And he sent a message to a pal saying he would maybe “kill one day for the lifetime experience”.

In court, the boy lodged a special defence of incrimination, blaming Toni McLachlan, Mr MacPhail’s 18-year-old partner, for the murder.

The jury did not believe his account and Lord Matthews called it “a ridiculous suggestion”.

Before he was led away in handcuffs, Alesha’s tearful relatives yelled “evil” at him.

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Her mother Georgina Lochrane, who has split from Mr MacPhail, paid an emotional tribute to her “beautiful, happy, smiley wee girl”.

Her father said day-to-day life was “almost impossible”.

In a statement, the MacPhail family added: “We hope that the boy who took her from us is jailed for a long time because of what he has done to our family. Alesha may be gone from our lives but she will always be in our hearts.”

The killer, who faces detention without limit of time, will be sentenced on March 21. He cannot be named but a hearing today will decide if anonymity can be lifted.

14 Tragic Alesha MacPhail pictured with dad Robert and his girlfriend Toni McLachlan - who is accused of having sex with the little girl's alleged killer

14 Alesha MacPhail's mum Georgina Lochrane weeps as she leaves court Credit: PA:Press Association

14 The knife used by the teen to abduct Alesha

14 Alesha's dad Robert stormed out of court previously as the teen made his accusations Credit: PA:Press Association

14 The youngster had been spending a summer break with her father and grandparents in the house they shared

14 Alesha MacPhail's mum Georgina Lochrane wore a locket with her picture Credit: Michael Schofield - The Sun Glasgow

14 Little Alesha suffered catastrophic wounds in the attack Credit: Les Gallagher - The Scottish Sun

14 A heartbreaking note was left on a floral tribute to the little girl from her mum Credit: PA:Press Association

14 Heartbreaking shrine to Alesha, 6, who was abducted from granny's house Credit: Wullie Marr

14 The Slender Man was invented by forum users in 2009 for a paranormal Photoshop competition

14 In a clip, there is a chilling echo of Alesha’s abduction as he brags about sneaking into a family home in the dead of night Credit: Alan MacGregor Ewing - The Sun Glasgow

14 Alesha was abducted, raped and strangled

Alesha MacPhail - Family of murdered six-year-old leave court as lead detective reads statement after teenager found guilty of brutal killing