A man who hacked the online accounts of Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence and other celebrities has been jailed for nine months.

Edward Majerczyk, from Chicago, was also ordered to pay £4,600 towards the counselling costs for one undisclosed celebrity whose photos were distributed online.

Majerczyk, aged 29, was accused of being behind a phishing scheme which illegally accessed more than 300 email and other online accounts.

The private information which was stolen included some nude videos and photos, and became known as 'celebgate'.

Other stars targeted included actress Kirsten Dunst, model Kate Upton and her boyfriend, Detroit Tigers baseball pitcher Justin Verlander.


Majerczyk pleaded guilty at a Los Angeles court last year to felony computer hacking.

Image: Model and actress Kate Upton's private photos were leaked online in 2014

The self-confessed computer nerd signed a plea agreement for his case to be transferred to Chicago.

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Both he and the prosecution agreed that he should receive a nine-month jail term. The maximum sentence is five years.

Majerczyk's lawyer said his client was "suffering from depression".

Federal agents have said Jennifer Lawrence broke down and became distraught during a meeting in 2014 about nude photos of her which appeared online.

"I was just so afraid. I didn't know how this would affect my career," the actress told Vanity Fair magazine.

"Just because I'm a public figure, just because I'm an actress, does not mean that I asked for this. It does not mean that it comes with the territory."