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HE got his sick kicks by haunting the families of dead teenagers on internet sites meant to honour their memory.

But Sean Duffy is no longer hiding behind his cowardly cloak of anonymity after police tracked down the source of the cruel online jibes and he was given a maximum 18-week jail term yesterday.

Duffy left vile videos and messages mocking the deaths of young strangers in a disturbing practice known in internet slang as trolling.

The jobless loner, 25, targeted Facebook tribute pages and posted videos on YouTube to taunt victims and families.

One was schoolgirl Natasha MacBryde, 15, who was hit by a train in a suicide near her home in February.

The day after Natasha died, Duffy wrote on a Facebook tribute page set up by her 17-year-old brother James: “I fell asleep on the track lolz (laughs out loud).”

He also posted images of public schoolgirl Natasha on the site with text scrawled across it saying “spoilt dead c***”, “I caught the train to heaven lol (laugh out loud)” and “I committed suicide for the lulz (laughs)”.

And four days later he put Natasha’s face on a YouTube video he created called Tasha the Tank Engine.

After Duffy was sentenced yesterday, Natasha’s father Andrew MacBryde, 47, said: “He has now been exposed for what he really is - a very twisted individual.

“He made a vile video where he superimposed Natasha’s face over a clip of Thomas the Tank Engine. He called it Tasha the Tank Engine. I could not watch the clip, it was far too distressing.”

Chartered surveyor Andrew, of Bromsgrove, Worcs, added: “He is a disturbed individual who caused the maximum of grief for his own self- satisfaction.

“I think he must be a very lonely man who unfortunately tried to get attention through the most disgusting way possible.

“I hope his sentence shows other trollers they are not anonymous and will be caught if they continue their vile games.”

Duffy’s first victim was Hayley Bates, 16, of Staffordshire, who died in a car crash a year ago.

He defaced pictures set up on her internet profile with big crosses over the eyes and stitches over her forehead.

A caption he created under a picture of flowers at the crash site read: “Used car for sale, one useless owner.”

Hayley’s sister Heather, 19, sent him a message but received no response. Soon after, he posted: “My sis added me, it must be boring on earth not having someone to have incest with. Love you xx’.”

Duffy also created a Facebook page called RIP Lauren Drew after the 14-year-old girl died from an epilepsy attack at her Gloucester home in January.

He targeted Lauren’s mum Carole on Mother’s Day, posting images called ‘Lauren’s epifit’ and ‘Lauren’s rotting body’ and a YouTube video with a picture of a coffin saying ‘Happy Mothers Day’.

Lauren’s dad Mark said yesterday: “He caused devastation to us and other families. It hurts but he sits behind a computer with no feeling.”

Mum Carole added: “We lost our daughter, it was really hard and then we had to deal with all this as well. He got the maximum sentence but there was still no excuse for what he did.”

The court heard how a teenager was wrongly accused of creating the profile and video and took a drugs overdose.

Duffy’s final target was Jordan Cooper, 14, from Washington, Tyne and Wear, who was stabbed to death by his uncle on February 28 this year.

He created a Facebook group called Jordan Cooper in pieces, with a picture of a knife with blood dripping off it.

And he made a YouTube video with pictures of Jordan’s eyes crossed out and slashes across his face.

Duffy was given the maximum jail term by magistrates in Reading, Berks, after admitting two charges of sending malicious communications about Natasha. Three more cases of trolling involving three other dead teenagers were taken into consideration.

Magistrates’ chairman Paul Warren told him: “You have caused untold distress to already grieving friends and family. The offences are so serious only a custodial sentence could be justified.”

The court heard that Duffy, who has Asperger’s syndrome, is on incapacity benefit and lived a “miserable existence” drinking alcohol alone at his home in Reading.

His lawyer Lance Whiteford said he suffered years of bullying but added: “I cannot imagine the trauma and anxiety caused to the families of these horrible, despicable offences. He just wasn’t aware how horrible the effect was going to be.”

Duffy, who was given a caution for a similar offence in 2009, has now been banned from Facebook and other social networking sites and must tell police about any phone he buys with internet access. He also got a five-year Asbo.

In July, a coroner blasted internet trolls at Natasha’s inquest, which heard she received a threatening message through social website Formspring days before her death.

And four weeks ago trollers were STILL writing abusive comments about her on Formspring.

One posted: “she jumped in front of a train, the girls bullying her then dubbed her Tasha the Tank Engine.” A week later another posted: “TASHA THE TANK ENGINE AHAHAHAHHAHA.”

But police tracked Duffy down through his internet service provider and Det Chief Insp James Hahn, of Thames Valley Police, warned last night: “Our investigation shows offenders cannot hide behind their computer screens.”