A MOTHER-of-one who indulged in sex play with a 13-year-old boy but failed to appear in court for sentencing is now in custody.

However Alexandra Tattersall, 31, has still not been sentenced over the December 2006 incident, where a 13-year-old was molested in front of his friend.

Tattersall, of Saxon Street, Burnley, failed to turn up for her original sentencing hearing in December and a warrant was issued for her arrest.

But she has now been tracked down by police and detained.

And Tattersall appeared before Preston Crown Court today.

She was not sentenced, however, as the court heard she had taken issue with the basis on which she pleaded guilty to under-age sex charges.

These pleas were entered when she had been due to stand trial last October.

Elizabeth Nicholls, defending, said the case should be adjourned so that discussions could take place between prosecutor Joe Boyd and the defendant's original barrister Roderick Priestley.

Miss Nicholls said that, according to her pre-sentence report, Tattersall had taken issue with significant proportions of the prosecution case.

Judge Pamela Badley told Tattersall: "You have pleaded guilty to serious matters but I understand that Miss Nicholls has not been able to discover the precisely what was said at the time that you entered your plea.

"If you have some reservations as to the basis of your plea it is only right and proper that trial counsel should attend."

Tattersall was remanded in custody and is expected to be sentenced now next Friday before Judge Badley at Preston.

In October she pleaded guilty to one charge of sexual activity with a 13-year-old boy and another count of engaging in sexual activity in front of another boy.

Both offences were said to have occurred at a house in Burnley, between December 21 and 25 last year.

Back then prosecutor Mr Boyd said: "The defendant accepts that she led the boy upstairs to her bedroom where she took off her clothes kissed him and encouraged him to take part in sexual activity."

Detectives say both boys were plied with alcohol before the offences took place.

Roderick Priestley, at the previous hearing, said Tattersall suffered from mental health problems.