A WIRRAL teenager heavily influenced by the computer game Call of Duty was sentenced to a year in custody for a series of bomb hoaxes and death threats across America.

Gregory Paul Sales from Bidston was caught as part of Operation Titan at his home in 2015 following a joint investigation between Merseyside Police and the FBI.

The 17-year-old admitted to one offence of threatening to kill and 11 counts of communicating false information and was sentenced to 12 months in a Young Offenders Institution.

Sales was handed a Criminal Behaviour Order to last two years and must notify police of any current social media usernames or email addresses within seven days of the order being granted.

He must also notify the police of any future social media handles within 72 hours of creating them.

Wirral Youth Court heard Sales’ reign of terror began on September 4, 2014 and ended May 17, 2015.

Going by social media name 'Ransom' he threatened five schools, three international airports and one news studio, tweeting offensive messages by ending them in #ISIS.

It also emerged that he researched into FBI agent from Pennyslvania and called his home, making threats to kidnap and kill his family if he did not bring $20,000 to the FBI headquarters.

He was warned by district Judge Michael Abelson that had he been over the age of 18 he would have been extradited to America to face criminal prosecution.

Crying in the dock, Sales nodded to acknowledge Mr Abelson’s sentence.

District Judge Abelson said: “I understand this is a case where the authorities in the States sought to extradite him but were unable to do so because he was not yet 18.”

“I’ve already said this coming in the background killings in the USA random killings and mass shootings of lots of people.

“As a result lots of bomb hoaxes have been occurring, known as swatting, I’m appalled to hear this is prevalent.

“As a result there’s been a lot of bomb hoaxes, threats...what you did spanned quite a long period of time. You were the leading participant in the majority of these offences – but you have been very candid about the part you played.

“This was coordinated criminal activity orchestrated on a large scale by yourself. Your actions caused huge disruption in the USA. Numerous educational establishments were subjected to bomb threats and threats that people would go around shooting students and staff.

“This caused thousands of people to be evacuated and locked down in the building.

“One can only imagine the psychological impact on ordinary members of the public caught up in these events, it must have been absolutely terrifying for them.

“When I refer to fantasy and fact blending together, this is no game."

On the threat made to a FBI agent's family, Judge Abelson continued: "You must surely as an intelligent young man have appreciated the horror you caused his young family, the fear you instilled in them.

“It must have been a terrible experience for both him and his family.”

Head of operations at Titan, detective superintendent Jason Hudson said: “We welcome today’s sentencing and hope it serves as a warning to anyone who thinks they can hide behind a computer keyboard to commit offences that cause widespread panic and disruption, no matter where they are in the world.

"This investigation is a prime example of how specialist police units here in the UK can work side-by-side with law enforcement agencies in other countries to make sure these crimes are detected and the perpetrators brought to justice.

"Together we can tackle this new breed of criminality that is not restricted by any kind of national borders.

“In this case the offender was sitting at a computer in Bidston causing chaos and confusion 3,500 miles away, but thanks to intelligence provided by the FBI, we were able to develop the information to make the arrest.

"Sales is still a young man, but his offences were extremely serious threats to institutions and companies which had major implications for these organisations, the individuals who work for them and the wider public.

"We will continue to work with the FBI and other agencies throughout the world to pool our resources and share the information we have in order to tackle the cybercrime that poses such a risk to the public we have a duty to protect.

"Cyber-crime can be committed by anyone, anywhere in the world but each offence has a victim and there are serious repercussions for anyone caught being involved in these types of offences.

“This is not a computer game or a harmless prank - people need to realise that their behaviour online does not exist in a bubble and has an effect and consequences in the real world.

"As Titan and other cyber-crime units in the UK continue to build our capability, technology and skills to tackle this new threat, we need people and businesses to better protect themselves from online crime by understanding the risks, implementing strong security measures so that they can enjoy the opportunities the Internet now provides us all but without making themselves vulnerable to cyber criminals."