A 17-year-old girl was found guilty of distributing child pornography after she "sexted" pictures of her boyfriend's underage ex-girlfriend during a jealous fit last year.

The girl, who lives in Victoria, British Columbia, reportedly stole the pictures from her boyfriend not long after they started dating last year. She then sent the pictures to a friend and posted one to the ex-girlfriend's Facebook page, allegedly as a sort of warning. The girl, who was 16 at the time of the crimes, also threatened to "stomp" her boyfriend's ex.

"It's something she regrets. … Neither she nor any of the youths involved realized the jeopardy they were placing themselves in," the teen's defense attorney, Christopher Mackie, told reporters outside the courthouse, according to the CBC. "These child pornography laws were intended to protect children, not to persecute them, and again it seems the criminal justice system, it's a heavy hammer to be using."

The prosecutor hopes the punishment will serve as a warning to other teens.

"(Teenagers) need to be careful what they send, what they send to each other and where it might end up," Fisher said after the ruling. Mackie, the teen's attorney, plans to appeal the verdict.

[Image via Shutterstock]