Exmouth rape case: Teenager 'disgusted with himself'

The boy said he wanted someone else to feel how he was feeling

A teenager accused of raping and attempting to murder a 10-year-old girl has said he feels "disgusted" with the harm he caused her.

The boy, who is now 17, told Bristol Crown Court: "I just wanted someone else to feel some of the ways I was feeling."

He denies raping and attempting to murder the girl as she walked home from school in Exmouth, Devon, on 4 October last year, but admits choking and sexually assaulting her.

He cannot be named for legal reasons.

The court heard that the boy did not know the girl and could not remember having seen her before.

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Giving evidence, Helen Bailey, who went to the aid of the girl, said she found her "howling" in a stream.

"She was sitting down, very, very distressed," she said.

"Her first words were, 'he strangled me, he strangled me, he strangled me', possibly more than three times."

Jurors heard the boy was "sweaty and acting strangely" when he went home, claiming he needed to change after falling from his bike.

He was arrested after his family contacted police when they read about the attack on a local news website.

When asked why he attacked her, he said he was feeling "angry and lonely".

The teenager denies attempted murder, attempting to choke with intent to commit rape, and rape of a child under 13.

The trial continues.