A man has admitted stabbing a teenager in the back when he was consumed by anger after she blocked him on social media.

Ellis Dismore denies attempting to murder the young girl but accepted that he intended to ‘hurt her, like she had hurt him’ when he confronted her in the street.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the 23-year-old had been in a relationship with the schoolgirl but maintained that he believed she was 19 and only discovered her true age when her mother contacted him.

He told the jury that he bought the knife used to stab her to scare her into unblocking him on social media and never intended to kill her.

His defence barrister, Paul Abrahams, asked Dismore how he felt at the time of the attack.

The defendant said: “I got angry; she started walking quickly away from me. I chased after her with the knife and stabbed her in the back.”

When asked why he had done that, he replied: “I was angry and upset because this girl had stopped messaging me and I wasn’t really sure why.

“I got really upset because it was the first time that I had had a relationship.”

Mr Abrahams asked: “Did you intend to kill her?” Dismore replied: “No. I intended to hurt her as she had hurt me.”

When Nick Dry, prosecuting, cross examined Dismore, the defendant denied that his intention was to kill the teenager.

The barrister asked: “You inflicted harm on her and them you came back for more didn’t you?” The defendant replied: “Yes.”

He continued: “What further harm could you cause if not to kill her?”

Dismore said: “No, I never intended to kill her. I was not going there with the intention to kill her. I went there to cause her really serious harm.”

Earlier in the trial, Mr Dry said when the victim fell to the ground the defendant "closed in for the kill".

See more court stories from The Northern Echo by clicking here

Get all the latest crime and court updates, for less than the price of a coffee, with a Premium Plus digital subscription to The Northern Echo. Click here

The knife attack happened at around 3pm on Thursday, June 22, on Premier Road, Middlesbrough, and she was taken to James Cook University Hospital for treatment after she suffered a punctured lung.

Mr Dry branded Dismore a ‘sexual predator’ after he fled the scene, leaving the teenager seriously injured.

Dismore, of Stoneyhurst Avenue, Middlesbrough, denies charges of attempted murder, wounding with intent, three counts of making indecent images of children and a further six charges of distributing indecent images of children.

The trial continues.