A 'SICK sadist' who trolled the grieving family of a 20-year-old student has been jailed for 14 months.

Paul Hind, 38, called Olivia Burt a "sex worker" and "prostitute" on a Facebook tribute page.

Miss Burt, who attended Durham University, died from head injuries after an incident outside the city's Missoula nightclub in February. The former head girl at Bournemouth School for Girls, who came from Milford-on-Sea, had only joined the university in October. She was studying natural sciences.

Hind, of Westacres in Wark, also doctored an image of Miss Burt and posted pictures of children who were "clearly terminally ill" on the Facebook page on April 20, a court heard.

He admitted four offences of conveying false information which was indecent or grossly offensive at South East Northumberland Magistrates' Court during the summer. He was sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court on Thursday.

In addition to the offence involving Miss Burt, the defendant also targeted pages set up in memory of Hannah Witheridge, a 23-year-old who was killed on the Thai island of Koh Tao in 2014, Joe Tilley, 24, who was found dead at the bottom of a waterfall in Colombia in May, and 19-year-old Duncan Sim, whose remains were found at West Sands in St Andrews earlier this year.

In August, Miss Burt's father Nigel Burt said the defendant's actions were a "desecration" of his daughter's memory.

Describing how the postings had made both he and Miss Burt's mother Paula feel "physically sick", he said: "The person who carried out this trolling can only be described as a sick sadist who knows that they are adding to our anguish and gets enjoyment out of this."

Sharon Elves of the Crown Prosecution Service said: “While others were offering words of comfort and condolence, Paul Hind instead posted cruel messages and images, which were seen by parents still grieving for their children. While it is difficult for anybody to understand Hind’s motivation, the undue distress caused by his actions has been made painfully clear.

“The CPS worked closely with police, drawing on digital forensics to build a robust case that left him little option but to plead guilty to all charges. I sincerely hope that the outcome of this case provides a measure of comfort to those involved at what must be an incredibly difficult time for them.”