IT took a Carlisle Crown Court jury less than two hours to unanimously clear a young woman of committing sex offences during a video call to a schoolboy.

Kaitlyn Reynolds-Sloan - at times in tears as she gave evidence - accepted she performed a sex act during a Facetime video call to the 15-year-old boy early last year, but she insisted she was “pressured” and “blackmailed” into doing it by the teenager.

The jury declared her not guilty of the three charges she faced: causing a child to watch a sex act; engaging in sexual communication with a child; and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

The trial heard from both the boy and from Miss Reynolds-Sloan - deemed by police to have been “vulnerable” and supported by an appropriate adult during her formal interview.

In her evidence, she said she contacted the boy by text to apologise after he witnessed her being involved in an argument.

The prosecution claimed that she acted as she did in a later video call to the body for "sexual gratification".

But when asked by defence lawyer Paul Tweddle why she used a sex toy during the video call, she said: “He basically said if I don’t do it he’d phone the police and get me done for it anyway.”

She said she was frightened and the teenager “pressured” her. He sent her 21 consecutive requests for a nude picture of her, she said.

When she discovered the teenager had taken intimate screenshots of her and shared them, she was deeply upset and stayed indoors for months, she said.

The court heard also from clinical psychologist Eric Wright, who assessed her.

He confirmed she had been diagnosed with ADHD, was taking anti-depressants and showed symptoms of autism. She also displayed characteristics of a “submissive” personality - typified by being easily manipulated.

This meant she would find it more difficult that an average person to resist pressure, Mr Wright told the jury. The boy denied pressuring Miss Reynolds-Sloan, or sending her 21 nude picture requests. He took screenshots because what she was doing was wrong, he said.

Police said they did not examine his phone because he had “refused” to hand it over.