DUBLIN, Ireland: A schoolgirl sent a female teacher dozens of "distressing" threats and sexualised content before a Garda search uncovered hundreds of abuse images on her phone, a court has heard.

The 17-year-old girl, whose identity is hidden because she is a minor, admitted that she harassed the teacher using many fake Instagram accounts.

She also had 718 illegal child abuse images on her phone over two months in 2024. She did not go to jail. At the time, she was 15 and had faced bullying, problems with social media, and mental health issues.

On March 26, at Dublin Children's Court, Judge Paul Kelly said it was sad that she took out her problems on the teacher and called the case upsetting. The court heard that the girl used fake names to send messages, including edited, inappropriate images of the teacher. The teacher became scared and has been attending counselling.

The teacher came to court and gave a strong statement about how the harassment affected her. The judge praised her for reporting the matter to the police. The girl, who had no previous criminal record, was given 12 months of supervised probation with conditions to help prevent her from reoffending. She was also banned from contacting the teacher for 10 years.

A Garda detective told the court that the teacher initially ignored the message before reporting it to the school. A few days later, she received a threatening message from another account and blocked it.

Soon after, she got 38 messages from two accounts in one night, which made her feel very unsafe. She then reported it to the police, who visited the girl's home. The girl admitted what she had done and handed over her phone, promising to stop.

However, later that month, she used her mother's phone to create another account and tried to follow the teacher. She then contacted the teacher again using another account that showed altered, sexualised images of the teacher, along with abusive and threatening content. Later, she sent a manipulated video with the teacher's photos, pornographic audio, and threats.

Two days later, the girl contacted the teacher again, using a different account created so only the teacher could see it. When the teacher checked the profile, she found edited images of herself that were sexual in nature, along with threatening and abusive messages.

Two days after that, the teacher was contacted again and sent an altered version of the video. It included her photos, music from a pornographic website, and threats.

When police examined the girl's phone, they found 718 illegal child abuse images. Of these, 564 were in the most serious category, 146 in category 2, and 8 in category 3. During police questioning, the girl said she had looked at one of the images out of "curiosity."

Before sentencing, the girl told a probation officer that she admired and liked the teacher and wanted to be friends with her. However, the prosecution said the teacher did not agree with this.

The teenage girl came to court with her father but did not speak during the hearing. Her lawyer asked the judge to note that she had not created or shared the illegal images, but had only received them.

The court heard that she was going through a difficult time when the offences happened. She stayed indoors most of the time and felt safer using online devices. She had been diagnosed with autism and was getting mental health support with help from her family.

Her lawyer asked for a lighter sentence, saying she was sorry and had pleaded guilty early when the case first came to court two months ago. This helped avoid a trial and spared the victim the ordeal of being questioned in court.