Xeneral Webster, 19, today admitted killing 47-year-old Joanne Rand after she was covered in maximum strength acid

A murder trial was today dramatically halted after a teenager admitted killing a dementia nurse by splashing her from head to toe during a fight with another man.

Xeneral Webster, 19, was on trial for the murder of 47-year-old Joanne Rand after she was covered in maximum strength acid.

But today - a week into the trial - he admitted manslaughter after arming himself with the substance he had intended to use to injure another man he was in dispute with.

Mrs Rand died from blood poisoning 11 days after running screaming in pain to a nearby KFC restaurant to douse herself in water in High Wycombe.

Webster, from Westway, west London, changed his plea before the prosecution had finished presenting its case to the jury sitting at Reading Crown Court.

The Crown Prosecution Service accepted the guilty plea and Judge Angela Morris ordered the jury to formally acquit the teenager of murder. He will be sentenced on June 15.

Mrs Rand's daughter was in court to hear the change of plea and was supported by family members but did not want to comment on the developments.

The jury had been in the middle of hearing from Saqib Hussain, who Webster had travelled to High Wycombe to seek out and confront over a drugs dispute.

Mrs Rand died in a specialist burns unit at Stoke Mandeville Hospital 11 days after the incident in Frogmoor, High Wycombe, on June 3 last year

The jury heard that it was not the first time Webster had armed himself with the corrosive liquid and that he himself had been left scarred by an acid being thrown over him

On finding Mr Hussain, the jury was told the acid bottle was taken out of a satchel slung around Webster's chest with lid already having been removed, before he pointed it in the intended victim's direction.

Mr Hussain then knocked it out of Webster's hand and it was kicked away.

The jury heard that nurse Rand was sitting on a bench after visiting the grave of her daughter who died in a car accident, when the maximum strength chemical ammonia was splashed onto her hair, face, arms and feet.

She was sat more than 40ft away from the melee.

Mrs Rand died in a specialist burns unit at Stoke Mandeville Hospital 11 days after the incident in Frogmoor, High Wycombe, on June 3 last year, after chemical burns from the sulphuric acid became infected, causing multiple organ failure from sepsis.

Alison Hunter QC, prosecuting, said: 'Joanne Rand was sitting at a bench at about 4.30pm to 4.45pm when she felt something hit her on her right shin.

'She saw a white bottle holding a yellow liquid. Her hair was wet and her face was burning. She then ran into the KFC restaurant behind her and doused herself with water before calling 999.

Joanne Rand died from blood poisoning 11 days after running screaming in pain to a nearby KFC restaurant to cover herself in water

'An ambulance was called by the police operator. She had already removed the clothing on her lower body and paramedics then arrived to help her remove the rest.'

Miss Hunter added: 'Dr Tina Lovelock confirmed the PH of the Sulphuric Acid was minus two. This is typical of a very strong acid, very corrosive and can cause severe progressive burns to the skin.

'Mrs Rand's trousers and blouse showed significant damage, with white stains across the front and a number of rips and holes.'

A statement was then read in court on behalf of plastic surgeon Colin Raynor by Miss Hunter. It said: 'The injuries were particularly to the right side of her face with widespread wounds.

'The pattern of injuries suggests a serious amount of acid hit her in the right cheek. The acid bottle must have struck her at considerable force to knock the amount of acid out that had caused this amount of injury.

'Once acid makes contact with the skin it sticks to it, no force is necessary to make it penetrate further.'

The jury heard that it was not the first time Webster had armed himself with the corrosive liquid and that he himself had been left scarred by an acid being thrown over him.

On finding Mr Hussain, the jury was told the acid bottle was taken out of a satchel slung around Webster's chest

When investigating the incident police discovered a bottle of ammonia in a pouch attached to the bike Webster had used to cycle to the youth centre.

Detective Constable Aamer Khan from the Metropolitan Police, who had to wear protective gloves due to the danger still posed by the evidence, presented the 500ml bottle to the jury from a safe distance.

CCTV from the June 3 last summer showed Webster travelling by train from Central London to Gerrards Cross station and then onto High Wycombe Station.

The jury was told that the CCTV showed Webster wearing a satchel that the jury was told contained the bottle of ammonia that was involved in the confrontation that led to Joanne Rand's death.

Webster was seen leaving Wycombe Station at around 4pm and was seen returning to the station an hour later, meaning everything took place within an hour.

Webster denied a single count of murder, manslaughter, two counts possessing an offensive weapon, causing GBH and robbery on June 3 last year when his trial started.

Today he changed his pleas to admit manslaughter, possession of an offensive weapon, namely acid, and affray in relation to the High Wycombe incident.

He was formally acquitted, on the directions of the judge, on the charges of murder, causing grievous bodily harm with intent and robbery.

He will also be sentenced in June and in relation to another attack in London on April 19, last year, where he admitted possession of an offensive weapon, namely ammonia, and a Samarai sword, and criminal damage.

Adrian Foster, from the CPS, said: 'Joanne Rand was not the intended victim of the attack but the prosecution was brought on the basis that by producing an open bottle of acid and raising it to the face of another man, Xeneral Webster intended to cause that individual really serious harm.

'The man fighting with Webster acted reasonably, in the circumstances, by deflecting the bottle away. Webster was responsible for the death of Joanne and had he not planned to hurt the intended victim, Joanne would still be alive today.

'We know that nothing will bring Joanne back to her family and friends, but we hope today's conviction brings them at least a small sense that justice has been done.'