A TEENAGER with autism admitted stalking a 16-year-old girl he became obsessed with — sending her up to 2,000 messages and tracking her location on social media.

Kyle Heal, 18, of Chestnut Close, Ventnor, was sentenced at the Isle of Wight Magistrates' Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to stalking at an earlier hearing.

The court Heal sent up to 2,000 messages to the girl, and even turned up at her home after meeting her on Instagram.

Prosecutor Ann Smout said: "After the victim befriended Mr Heal online, he began to call her as often as 60 times a day.

"On occasion he turned up outside her address and was seen to be staring inside. On another occasion, he used the location sharing function on Snapchat to find out where she was.

"In interview, he admitted he had an obsession with the girl."

Liz Miller, defending, said: "Kyle is not the typical kind of person who finds themselves in this kind of situation.

"He is prone to obsession, not just with people but also with objects. In the past, his parents have sought to find help for him but to no avail.

"He has no idea about how relationships work, and in a sense, he was trying to protect her.

"He's never bothered the court system at all before this incident.

"In terms of support, his mother and father will always be there to look after him."

Magistrates sentenced Heal to a 12-month community order, to include 20 rehabilitation activity days.

He was given a restraining order, barring him from contacting the girl again, and ordered to pay a £10 fine and a £90 surcharge.

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