A Canadian teenager who spent a year harassing women gamers and their families has been sentenced to 16 months in a youth prison and eight months' probation after admitting 23 charges.

The tearaway made bogus emergency calls to the police – giving the addresses of his victims' so that armed SWAT teams would turn up at their homes – and he phoned in bomb threats.

On Thursday, the youth pleaded guilty to nine counts of criminal harassment, eight counts of public mischief, four counts of extortion, one count of uttering threats, and one breach of bail conditions. His victims were in Canada and the US.

"The last seven or eight years of your life have been a waste of time in that you have not put in any effort to develop the social and academic skills, work habits, and moral compass that are required to succeed in the real world," said Judge Patricia Janzen, The Province reports.

"Your greatest challenge lies just ahead and it will take great effort on your part."

The 17-year-old, who can't be named for legal reasons, spent most of 2014 harassing people online, the court heard. He faked calls to police SWAT teams, leading them to storm the homes of people who annoyed the teenager, and also stalked his targets on social media – bombarding them with messages, and posting personal information about them online.

Not content with endangering people's lives with itchy-fingered police, the teenager also phoned in a number of bomb threats. Disneyland in California was temporarily shuttered after one of these calls, and other threats were issued against Simon Fraser University and a Florida school.

The court heard that the teenager worked by day in the computer industry, and spent his nights gaming and ordering pizza. Psychological reports presented in the case claimed he suffered from severe narcissism, has emerging psychopathic traits, and is oversensitive.

"It appears that when real life became too hard you retreated into the online world and became increasingly socially isolated," Janzen said.

"While you may think you enjoyed greater success in the online world, that success was an illusion. You were left with severely limited social skills and a significant educational deficit." ®