A 13-YEAR-OLD girl foiled a would-be mugger by hanging onto her handbag as he tried to snatch it, a court has heard.

Nineteen-year-old Sadaqat Bashir, of Dashwood Avenue, High Wycombe and a gang of boys, tried to steal the bag from the girl and her friend as they were walking across The Rye.

But Reading Crown Court heard on Friday, June 17, the teenager stood up to Bashir and would not let go of her bag.

The incident occured in July last year as the two teenage girls were walking across High Wycombe's Rye, at around 6.30pm and were approached by the group, including Bashir.

Simon Heptonstall, prosecuting, said that Bashir asked the girls if they had any money or a mobile phone. He then tried to take the handbag from the teenager. She later told police he grabbed the bag so hard it hurt the palms of her hands as she held on.

The victim called police and gave a description of Bashir, who was picked up, identified and arrested later the same night.

In sentencing, Judge Zo Smith said: "What I cannot understand about this man is that he gave up a college course because he could not get the bus in the morning. He does absolutely nothing, then he takes a handbag from a girl aged 13."

She added: "It must have been terrifying for a young girl to be surrounded by boys and have her handbag taken. What you did was very wrong."

John Upton, for the defence, said: "He says he was looking for the lighter, alot of 13-year- old girls smoke.

"He did not realise the gravity of what he was doing. This behaviour was out of character."

Bashir avoided prison for the crime because of his early guilty plea and lack of previous convictions.

He was given a 200 hour community punishment order.