A woman who said she was grabbed by a man while walking to work has told how she feared she was going be sexually assaulted.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had been on her way to start a new job when she got lost and ended up in Carrow Hill at about 5.25am, on October 13 last year.

Norwich Crown Court heard she was grabbed by the man, who told her he wanted to have sex with her and tried to drag her off to a garden or alleyway.

Anesu Nzanga, 37, a medical student, formerly of Bracondale, Norwich, has denied committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence and has denied an alternative charge of assault by beating on the same date.

Giving evidence over a video link, the woman, who was 18 at the time, said he had grabbed her by the wrist and she then managed to pull away, only for him to grab her again.

She said: "I was being dragged towards a dark-looking area and thought something bad was going to happen so I tried to get away to stop that happening."

She told the jury she thought she would be subjected to some sort of sex assault.

She managed to get away when a member of the public came to her aid and after reaching work she reported it to colleagues and police were then called.

She said that the incident had left her feeling distressed and upset.

The DNA of the defendant was recovered from a jacket she was wearing and Nzanga was arrested four days later.

In interview Nzanga told police he was a medical student hoping to be a paramedic and had been on a night out when he saw the woman, who appeared lost and all he had done was try to help her by asking if she was OK and pointing her in the right direction.

He said she had then told him: "Just leave me alone."

He said that when she told him to leave he had walked off.

He denied he had attacked her or had any sexual thoughts in his mind and said: "All I did was to try to help, but she took it the wrong way."

Nzanga said: "I never tried to force myself on her."

The trial continues.