A WOMAN has pleaded guilty to murdering a teenager in Sunderland – more than ten years after he was killed.

Scott Pritchard, 19, was found fatally injured outside his home on Lyndsay Close in Hendon on January 7, 2004.

He was rushed to hospital with serious head injuries but doctors were unable to save him.

An investigation was launched to trace the person responsible for the teenager's murder but nobody was convicted at the time.

The case has remained open ever since and detectives in Northumbria Police's Homicide and Major Enquiries Team have periodically reviewed the case.

Last week Karen Tunmore, 36, was charged with one count of murder after new information came to light.

She appeared before magistrates sitting at Newcastle Crown Court on Saturday morning.

Tunmore, of Towton, Killingworth, was remanded in custody but at a bail hearing today she entered a guilty plea.

She will now be sentenced by a judge at Newcastle Crown Court on October 1.

Senior investigating officer, Detective Chief inspector John Bent, said: "It is rare for a murder case to remain open for so long because suspects are normally identified at a very early stage.

"I am glad that Scott's family may finally see some justice as it has been an incredibly difficult time for them since he passed away.

"To have your son murdered is tragic in itself but for his killer to remain in the community for such a long time is heart-breaking.

"Hopefully they can take some comfort from knowing that Karen Tunmore has been brought to justice."