A 38-year-old man has admitted having a sordid affair with a 13-year-old schoolgirl.

The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was enticed into Brian Telford's clutches with promises of marriage when she got to 16, and extravagant gifts.

Telford, of Third Avenue, Chester-le-Street, County Dur-ham, initially denied having sex with the youngster, but after she gave evidence in court yesterday he admitted one charge of having sexual intercourse with her.

Newcastle Crown Court heard how Telford supplied her with tickets to see her favourite pop group Steps, at Newcastle Arena, among other gifts.

John Aitken, prosecuting, handed out 20 pages of love notes exchanged by the pair.

He even tried to make her hatch a rape scam to cover his tracks in case she got pregnant as a result of their unprotected sex.

Mr Aitken told the court how the youngster was put under "emotional pressure" by Telford due to the "vast difference in age and experience".

Telford had faced a series of allegations which were dropped once he pleaded guilty to a charge of having sex with an under-age girl. He will be sentenced on June 6, after the preparation of reports.