A COLLEGE chaperon from Okehampton has been sent on a sex offenders' course after he asked a 14-year-old Facebook friend to strip off for saucy webcam pictures.

Jason Kiddle was a student at Duchy College in Stoke Climsland and acted as an 'ambassador' to greet potential new students on open days.

He met the girl when he showed her around the college and he started a Facebook friendship.

Kiddle was caught when the girl's father became alarmed about her use of the social media and when police visited Kiddle's home in Okehampton they found he had pestered another 16-year-old girl in the same way.

He was just 19 when the first offences were committed and Exeter Crown Court was told last week he was immature and suffering from 'teenaged angst'.

Kiddle, of North Road, Okehampton, admitted four offences of inciting girls to send him indecent images and one of harassment.

He was ordered to undergo a sex offenders' treatment programme as part of three years' supervision by Judge Phillip Wassall.

The judge told him: 'You were acting as an ambassador for Duchy College, showing children around when you met and befriended a 14-year-old girl.

'After a couple of months you asked her to send private pictures of herself in her underwear.

'She did not want to at first but she gave in to pressure and sent two pictures before her father became aware of the conversation and informed the police.

'An examination of your computer showed similar things going on with a 16-year-old girl who sent you two images. You used quite extreme emotional pressure, saying you might kill yourself if she did not send them.

'A prison sentence would do nothing to address the underlying reasons for your offending but a treatment programme will ensure you modify your behaviour in the future.'

Both girls said they felt pressured and were upset by what they did and the 16-year-old needed to take anti depressants because of the impact of Kiddle's harassment on her.

Emily Pitts, defending, said Kiddle was young for his age and was very immature at the time but was now growing up after starting work.

She said: 'He has accepted what he did was wrong and is ashamed. He is petrified of the idea of going to prison and is a young man who needs help.

'He was young for his age and finding it very difficult to control his emotions and friendships and was trying to cope with teenaged angst when these offences started out.'