A WEST Country teenager who urged a Swindon boy to commit a sex act on camera has been encouraged to spend his free time outdoors engaging in sport rather than glued to his computer.

The 17-year-old – who cannot be identified due to a court order - appeared before District Judge Simon Cooper sitting at Swindon Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday morning to be sentenced for two offences of inciting a Swindon boy under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity between May 1 and June 12 of last year.

The court heard that the victim had met the defendant, who lives in Plymouth, through online gaming sites and they had got chatting. The teenager, who was 16 at the time of the offences, had repeatedly asked the boy to engage in sexual activity on his webcam, prosecutor Vyvyan Thatcher told the court, which he eventually did.

When police were alerted to the incidents they discovered that the teenager was in the process of creating a spoof IP address, which would have made tracking his internet activities near impossible.

Sentencing him, District Judge Cooper said: "You have demonstrated a preoccupation with prepubescent male children."

But he added: "Sending you into custody will probably break you for the rest of your life.”

He was given a youth offending supervision order for two years which outlined 11 points with restrictions on his computer activities. He was given a curfew and ordered to pay court costs of £85.

“I don’t really want him at home absorbing himself on the internet,” said District Judge Cooper.

“I would prefer he was out and about occupying himself with a rugby ball or a cricket ball.

“I want you out and about until 8pm – you might like to try fishing, it is quite thoughtful."