I thought I would die, schoolgirl tells trial

An 11-year old schoolgirl today told the Central Criminal Court she thought she was going to die when a man allegedly tied a lace around her neck and twisted it as she lay on the ground in a field.

The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was giving evidence in the trial of a 19-year-old South Tipperary man who is charged with the attempted murder and attempted sexual assault of the girl in November 2001.