A TEENAGE girl who posted death threats on Facebook today became the first person in Britain jailed for cyber bullying.

Keeley Houghton, 18, boasted on her Facebook page that she would kill Emily Moore, also 18, who she had bullied since they were at school.

Houghton was sentenced to three months in a young offenders' institute after pleading guilty to harrassment.

District Judge Bruce Morgan told her: "Since Emily Moore was 14 you have waged compelling threats and violent abuse towards her.

"Bullies are by their nature cowards, in school and society. The evil, odious effects of being bullied stay with you for life.

"On this day you did an act of gratuitous nastiness to satisfy your own twisted nature."

Jobless Houghton was also slapped with a restraining order banning her from contacting Miss Moore in person, via the internet or in any other manner.

Earlier magistrates in Worcester heard how Houghton wrote on her Facebook site: "Keeley is going to murder the bitch.

"She is an actress. What a fucking liberty. Emily F***head Moore."

Two days before making the threat Houghton had approached Emily as she enjoyed a quiet drink with her boyfriend in The Vault Inn Pub in Malvern, Worcs, and put her arm around her.

Prosecutor Sara Stock said: "Emily was in the pub when she saw the defendant who stared at her while she was dancing.

"Later when Emily was sitting on her own the defendant came over and sat next to her and asked her 'Are you Emily Moore? Can I have a huggle?'

"Emily told the defendant to leave her alone otherwise she would call the police.

"Keeley then told her 'I'll give you something to ring the police about'."

The court heard Houghton, of Malvern, had terrorised Emily for four years and had two previous convictions for her vendetta.

In 2005 she was convicted of assaulting her as she walked home from school and was subsequently expelled from school.

Two years later she was convicted of causing criminal damage to Emily's home after kicking her front door.

She sobbed throughout her 15-minute hearing and her friends shouted, "We love you Keeley," as she was led in handcuffs to the cells.

People have previously been jailed for harrassment on social networking sites but Houghton is the first to be jailed for bullying via the internet.