A YOUTH accused of attacking a young woman with another man told a jury she assaulted him.

The 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named because of his age, and his co-defendant Paul Spencer, aged 40, both pleaded not guilty to assault occasioning grievous bodily harm at Dorchester Crown Court.

The court was told that on November 2, 2010, both defendants went to Rama Newhouse’s flat in South Street, Bridport, and attacked her, punching and kicking her on the ground.

Miss Newhouse, who is registered as mentally ill and has borderline personality disorder, was left with a fractured eye socket and bruising on her body and arms.

The teenage defendant told the jury he went to Miss Newhouse’s flat to confront her about texts she sent saying she wished his mother was dead.

He said: “I went to her flat to try and find out why she was doing it.

“She came to the door and started saying that she wanted my mum dead.

“I was calm but she was angry, she grabbed hold of me round the torso with both hands quite aggressively.”

He said Spencer pushed her away ‘gently’ and she had fallen to the floor.

“She fell towards the wall and then to the floor and then we left,” he said.

Spencer chose not to take the stand and give evidence in his defence.

The jury retired to consider its verdict yesterday and will return this morning to resume deliberations.