AN internet troll who stole baby photos from social media and pretended they were her own dead children in a bid to raise money has been banned from social media for two years.

Sick Kati Ringer, 21, from Shoebury, threatened to rape and kill her victims’ babies when she was challenged, Norwich Magistrates’ Court heard.

Ringer was jailed in 2014 for targeting mums in the Southend area, and across the country, by sending photos of dead children with offensive, racist and sexual comments to their distraught mothers.

She also threatened to firebomb one mum’s house and raked in more than £2,000 from donors worldwide, who fell for sob stories posted on Facebook.

Ringer was caught for her latest offences after an investigation by West Midlands Police and Leicestershire Police traced her IP address to a computer at her mother’s house.

She admitted two malicious communications offences relating to March and April this year and was sentenced to a two-year criminal behaviour order which bans her from using any social media accounts, passing any other person’s photo off as her own or asking any third party for a donation unless as a legitimate volunteer for a registered charity.

She was also handed a jail term of 30 weeks, suspended for two years, ordered to pay £225 costs and given a community order with a 30-day activity requirement.

Jane Walker, prosecuting, said Ringer had targeted two women, copying photos of their babies from Instagram and reposting them on her own.

She said: “The defendant copied these images and reposted them on her Instagram saying they were her child, the child had died and trying to get money.”

She said when challenged, Ringer “became threatening towards her and made threats to rape and harm the child”.

The court heard Ringer, who now lives in Soleme Road, Norwich, sent the mother a “laughing face” emoji on Instagram, then a further message saying: “I’ve already posted pictures saying she’s dead, I’ve got £600 so far”.

When the victim said she must be jealous, she said:”Jealous of a disgusting little runt that should have been drowned at birth’.”

She also revealed she knew the name of the victim’s partner and altered a picture of the baby to include disgusting sexual imagery.

Ian Fisher, mitigating, said Ringer admitted the charges at the earliest opportunity and a number of events in her life had contributed to her “lacking any ability to empathise”.

He said of the offences: “They are made possible by the advent of quite complex social media forms on the internet, and the defendant set about something that no normal, decent human being would do.”