A BURGLAR held a knife to a woman’s throat during a terrifying ordeal which lasted half an hour after climbing through a window into her home.

The 17-year-old boy from Pontypool was high on drugs and demanded his victim hand over her car keys, prosecutor Marian Lewis said.

The woman was left “traumatised” following the aggravated burglary which took place in the town in July.

After he got in to the house during the early hours of the morning, Miss Lewis told Cardiff Crown Court: “The defendant grabbed a fork in her kitchen and approached her and she managed to get it off him.

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“He then armed himself with a large kitchen knife with a six-inch blade, the complainant described it as a carving knife.

“The defendant held the knife to the victim’s throat and demanded her car keys.

“She tried to put her left hand over her throat to stop him cutting her throat.

“This caused him to cut her hand rather than her neck and she remembers a lot of blood.”

Miss Lewis added: “He continued to demand the car keys and he became aggressive.

“The defendant then dragged her upstairs at knifepoint and was holding the knife lengthwise.

“He told her he was on drugs and he slashed the bathroom door and was waving the knife around.”

The boy then fled empty-handed from the scene and was arrested a few hours later.

Miss Lewis added: “The victim had a cut to her left index finger which needed eight to nine stitches.

“The incident lasted 30 minutes and the complainant had the knife to her throat for the majority of that time.”

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary.

Matthew Roberts, defending the boy, admitted the offence had “traumatised” the woman.

He asked for a psychiatric report to be prepared on his client and Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke adjourned sentence to November 19.

The defendant was remanded in custody.