NINE YEAR OLD LEFT WEB THREATS FOR LEUKAEMIA VICTIM.(Features)

A NINE year-old girl wrote death threats on the internet blog of a young Midland leukaemia sufferer.

Detectives investigating messages placed on Sophie Foxley's online diary traced them back to the computer of the youngster in the north-east of England.

Sophie, also aged nine, used the diary as a way of charting her daily battle against the disease.

The Sunday Mercury previously told how she was forced to flee her home with her mother and sister after messages threatening to set her house on fire and kill her were posted on the site.

West Mercia Police launched an investigation in November and have now announced that a nine year-old girl has been spoken to by the police.

Detective Constable Russell Teece, of Shrewsbury CID, said: "There can be no excuse for this kind of behaviour and the young girl has apologised to police for her actions.

"The victim and her family were left extremely upset and frightened by the messages.

"They were all traced to a computer in the north-east of England and the nine year-old spoken to about the incidents admitted sending them all."

CAPTION(S):

ILL: Sophie Foxley