A TEENAGER from West Somerset has changed his plea to guilty in Taunton Crown Court on charges of rape and sexual assault.

The 16-year-old boy, from Minehead — who cannot be identified because he is under 18 years of age — appeared before Taunton Deane Magistrates Court on Friday (March 6), having previously denied the offences during an earlier hearing last December.

He was accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl by penetration between May 31 and July 1, 2024, and of raping her between October 15 and November 1 the same year.

The defendant changed his plea to guilty on both counts at Taunton Magistrates' Court on March 6 and has been released on conditional bail pending a sentencing hearing on May 12.