A man who has confessed to sexually assaulting a student during a botched robbery has told a jury: “I wasn’t try to rape her!”

Homeless Samuel King from Ashford who was living in a tent admitted ripping off his victim’s knickers during the early morning attack in Canterbury.

But the 25-year-old said he only did it ”to distract her” during the mugging in Dane John Gardens in May.

King, who admits indecent assault but denies attempted rape, said he halted the attack when his victim looked him in the face.

“She looked at me and I could see she was distressed and in shock over what had just happened.

"She looked frightened as if something serious was about to happen.”

King, a former Dover chef, added: “I stopped because of the look she gave me. I was scared ‘cos I knew what I had done was too much, too far. I got up and run off.”

His barrister John Fitzgerald asked: “How do you feel about what you did that night?”

King replied: “I feel very bad, disgusted with myself. That’s not the way I normally behave.”

He told a jury at Canterbury Crown Court how he and his 32-year-old cousin Damian Davey had gone to Canterbury by train after getting £60 from his father.

King said he paid out £20 on cannabis and another £20 on a bottle of Jack Daniels and spent the evening walking in the city.

He alleged that during the evening the two had walked to the university campus where Davey stole a CD mixer from the window of a flat.

Davey, also of no fixed address, has denied attempted rape, attempted robbery and possessing a knife in public.

King claimed they were standing in St George’s Street as a woman walked past and stopped at a cash machine.

He said she was obviously drunk and claimed Davey told her she was pretty before adding: “This could possibly be the easiest thing they have done all night."

“I walked up behind her and put my hand over her mouth and kicked her legs away and she fell to the floor on her back. She was carrying a small bag...” - Samuel King

“I thought that meant to rob her but I didn’t want to rob her and we began an argument, “ he said.

King alleged Davey said he had “done something earlier” – a reference to the burglary – and urged him to carry out the robbery adding: “He told me he had something inside his bag that would change my mind. He meant he had a knife."

He said he began following her, with Davey trailing behind, until she went into the gardens.

He said: “I walked up behind her and put my hand over her mouth and kicked her legs away and she fell to the floor on her back. She was carrying a small bag.”

King said he struggled to get the bag free for 10 seconds while his cousin held her legs.

“She was kicking out and her skirt was riding up so I could see her knickers. I just grabbed them and ripped them to distract her so she would let go of the bag.

“My hands were never inside her knickers but I accept what I did was a sexual assault but I had no intention of raping her,” he added.

King has also admitted attempted robbery and possessing a bladed weapon.

The trial continues on Monday.