AN EBBW Vale teenager today admitted threatening a man with a BB gun to try to steal his BMW.

Craig Hyde-Dryden,17, from Armoury Terrace, Ebbw Vale, used the BB gun to rob Bryn Price, 65, of his car keys on January 14 2008.

At Newport crown court, Hyde-Dryden pleaded guilty to charges of attempted robbery, robbery and possession of an imitation firearm.

But Mr Price was able to escape the attempted car-jacking and contact the police.

Mr Price told the Argus in January he had returned to his car near Ebbw Vale leisure centre after a swim between 5.30pm and 6pm.

After opening his car door, Mr Price, from Tredegar, turned around and found Hyde-Dryden holding a black gun - which he said looked real - to his face.

The teenager stood with his face obscured by a dark hooded top, holding cable ties looped like a bracelet.

He demanded Mr Price hold out his arms, tied his wrists, and bundled him into the back.

But luckily for the retired design draughtsman, Hyde-Dryden couldn't work out how to get the electronic ignition of Mr Price's BMW going.

The quick-thinking pensioner pretended to explain it to Hyde-Dryden, butleft out one key step which gave him enough time to free himself.

Mr Price ran out of the car and told a manager at the leisure centre, who alerted the police.

Meanwhile Hyde-Dryden fled the vehicle and ran in the direction of Glyncoed, still holding the key. He was arrested later.

The incident followed an attempted robbery by Hyde-Dryden in October 2007.

Judge Roderick Denyer adjourned sentencing for two weeks so that a pre-sentence report and a psychiatric report can be compiled, as he said the two incidents had come "out of the blue."

Hyde-Dryden was remanded in custody and will be sentenced on March 13.