A Warwick teenager will spend the next few years in corrective training after he admitted sexually assaulting a female visitor last year.

And the 17-year-old will receive counselling in the Prison Services' Sexual Offenders Treatment Programme during his period of incarceration and will be released after its sucessful completion.

The teen -- who looked sheepish and contrite on the stand -- declined an opportunity to speak when he was given the chance to address the court.

Around 3.15 p.m. on September 4, 1997 a tourist left her Paget vacation home with her boyfriend to go for a run. Since he had to go to Hamilton, the couple parted ways.

The woman continued running along the Railway Trail in a westerly direction and entered a secluded area which consisted of an overgrowth of trees.

She ran for about three miles and saw Swan riding a dark blue mountain peddle cycle in an easterly direction.

About ten minutes later, the woman felt a blow to the neck and then she was held around the throat by someone she could not see.

She fell to the ground and began to scream but her attacker covered her mouth with his hand.

The woman offered money and her belongings to her assailant in an effort to distract him but he was not interested. He grabbed one of her breasts with his hand as he pinned her down using his weight.

Swan then began to strangle her and asked her "how do you like that?'' He then began to remove her two bra tops and running shorts.

During the struggle, Swan pushed the woman onto her back and she then recognised him as the man she saw earlier riding the pedal cycle.

The woman managed to free her arms and began to scratch Swan about his chest and bit his upper arm and shoulder.

The woman ran off in a westerly direction in search of help. As a result of the attack the woman was visibly shaken and received multiple abrasions and bruises on her face, arms, torso and legs.

Crown counsel Charlene Scott said that Swan, who attended Berkeley Institute, had committed a serious offence for which the maximum was 30 years in prison.

However, she agreed that the defendant was young and thus a period of corrective training was more appropriate.

Acting Chief Justice Norma Wade Miller, noting that both counsel urged corrective training as the appropriate sentence, handed the sentence down.