A TEENAGER has been jailed for three years for putting a friend through a terrifying ordeal after moving in with her while on bail for another offence.

Teesside Crown Court was told that Peter Fry was given bail after being arrested for having sex with an under-age girl, and was allowed to live with Jane Saville in Crook, County Durham.

The court heard the original incident involved him plying the schoolgirl and her friends with drink after breaking into his parents' flat, in Barnard Castle, while they were away.

Fry, then aged 18, had sex with the 15-year-old while her two friends slept, even though he had asked her how old she was, said John Gillette, prosecuting.

On December 11, while on bail, he had a row with Ms Saville over the use of her computer and then held her captive in her home and beat her up.

Mr Gillette said it was not known how long the ordeal lasted, but said it went on for at least an hour.

Fry had locked all the doors and put a sofa up against one of them, and smashed Ms Saville's mobile phone to prevent her seeking help, said Mr Gillette.

Ms Saville managed to escape and called the police from a phone box only when a colleague of Fry's knocked on the door and he opened it to let the friend in.

The court heard that Fry put Ms Saville in a headlock and threatened to cut up her bank cards unless she told him the password for her computer.

Andrew Walker, mitigating, said Fry wanted to use the computer to carry out research to help him with the allegation made by the first victim.

Mr Walker said the 15-year-old girl - who described being "in a trance" after being touched by Fry - looked more mature than her years.

Fry, now 19, and of Seaburn Park, Seaburn, Sunderland, admitted sexual activity with a child and false imprisonment.

Jailing Fry, Judge Brian Forster said: "These offences show that you have a problem in that you are willing to do anything to suit yourself, having little regard to the feelings of other people. Such behaviour towards someone who was offering you a home is clearly most serious and unacceptable."

The court heard how Fry had been kicked out of the family home, but broke in when his parents were on an overseas holiday.

Fry, who was also put on the sex offenders' register for ten years, was given a conditional discharge for burglary at an earlier hearing.