Teen sexter convicted for child porn Published duration 13 January 2014

image copyright Getty Images image caption A teenager has been convicted of distributing child pornography after "sexting" images of another teenager

A teenager in Canada has been found guilty of possessing and disseminating child pornography after sending text messages containing naked images of her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend.

The teenager - who was aged 16 at the time of the offence - had been shown the photos by her boyfriend, then sent them to a friend.

The court heard her aim had been to humiliate and intimidate her victim.

The lawyer representing the teenager says she will challenge the verdict.

The victim was of a similar age to the accused, which meant the images were deemed to be child pornography. The teenager was also charged with "uttering threats".

'Precedent-setting'

The judge in the case in Victoria, British Columbia, told CTV News that the messages were "mean, rude and antagonistic".

"The images in question come within the definition of child pornography."

image copyright Getty Images image caption The case, which is the first of its kind, was heard in a court in Victoria, British Columbia in Canada

The trial focused on three images and a handful of text messages that were shared between the accused, her friend, the boyfriend and the victim.

"Always be careful of what you allow of pictures to be taken, what you send to whom," crown prosecutor Chandra Fisher said.

"[Teenagers] need to be careful what they send, what they send to each other and where it might end up."

Ms Fisher said that the case was an unusual one and could be precedent-setting.

Christopher Mackie, the lawyer representing the teenager, said he would challenge the verdict on constitutional grounds.

He told the court that it was unconstitutional to charge youths who "sext" with child-pornography offences because it was legal for adults to text "erotic images".

"These child pornography laws were intended to protect children, not to persecute them", he told news organisation CBC . He said it was a "heavy hammer" to be using.

The case will be back in court on 28 January to set a date for the hearing of constitutional arguments.

Related Topics Pornography

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