A TEENAGER who raped his own mother as she slept in her bed is awaiting sentence.

The youth, now 17, from Oswaldtwistle, was just 16 when he attacked his middle-aged mother.

He subjected her to a second ordeal of giving evidence against him before a jury - and then admitted what he had done.

Judge Ian Webster took the unusual step of allowing the woman to give her account of what happened from behind screens, at Burnley Crown Court.

The judge was told that since the offence, the mother had suffered depression and nervous problems and felt she could not properly give her evidence facing her son.

The court heard that the youth had first pleaded guilty to the allegation and then changed his plea to not guilty.

The victim had been led to believe she would not have to go to court and then had to go into the witness box when her son changed his mind.

David Sumner, prosecuting, told the jury that screens had been used because of the "sensitive" nature of the case.

The teenager admitted rape, part-way through a trial and was remanded in custody, with a view to being sentenced on Thursday. He has been in custody since the offence, last September.

Mr Sumner had told the court that in the early hours, the mother decided to go to bed, leaving her husband out celebrating a family event.

Around midnight she awoke in pain and found her son having sex with her. The woman told him to get out, screamed at him and immediately telephoned the police. Officers arrived and went out looking for the teenager, eventually finding him with the help of a dog handler.

He ran off, but was bitten by the police dog, subdued and taken to the police station.

Mr Sumner said when the defendant was interviewed by officers he claimed he had had a drink and could not remember the incident at all, but remarkably could remember other things that happened that night.

There was then a change and the teenager decided he could remember, said he had had sex with his mother and claimed she wanted him to do it and had encouraged him.

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