A boy aged 15 carried out a sex attack on a teenage girl as she struggled to open her front door, a court heard.

And, after the 16-year-old managed to escape his clutches and get in her house, he stole her handbag and its contents.

The boy, from the Moredon area, who cannot be named for legal reasons, tried to chat up his victim before launching the attack.

He initially pleaded not guilty when he appeared before a judge at Swindon Crown Court but, seconds later, he asked to change his plea.

Sarah Regan, prosecuting, said the victim had been walking home shortly after midnight September 27 after a night out with friends.

She said that after leaving her two friends to complete the walk home alone she was approached by the defendant.

He asked her if she had the time, and when she said she didn't he asked her if she had a mobile phone, as it would be on that.

After she told him the time he then asked her if she had a cigarette and continued walking alongside her, Miss Regan said.

"She got the impression he was trying to chat her up," she said.

The girl didn't answer all his questions but when she got to her house he asked "Give us a cuddle first" and she replied "No" before walking towards the front door.

Miss Regan said: "He approached her with his arms stretched out as if he was to embrace her.

"She was scared and frightened of him. She did not know what he was going to do and felt out of control."

The youth then pushed her against the front door and put an arm against the wall, blocking her in.

"As he touched her he said 'Come on, come on, give us a kiss," Miss Regan told the court.

The girl managed to push him away and tried to unlock the front door, asking him to leave her alone, but he touched her again.

Miss Regan said as she got inside the front door the youth reached in and grabbed her handbag and pulled it from her grasp before running off.

Mark Ruffell, defending, said his client had been drinking and taken ecstasy before the incident and could remember almost nothing of it.

He said the boy's recollection was patchy but he knew he was trying to chat her up.

The court heard that the 15-year-old, who is currently serving a detention and training order for other offences, had 31 previous convictions and was a persistent young offender.

The boy pleaded guilty to indecent assault and robbery.

Judge Tom Longbotham adjourned the case for pre-sentence reports to be prepared and remanded the boy in custody until December 23.

Catherine Turnbull