Damilola moved to England from Nigeria

This was what she said about her cross-examination by the defending barrister, Courtney Griffiths:

"Bromley": It was very hard and upsetting and...I was just...when I used to come home, I used to think about like loads of things 'cos he upset me.

He didn't give me a chance to talk properly. Like, as soon as I give him the answer that he wanted he'd stop and ask the next question. He stood there, yeah, and like tried to twist my head so I'd come out with the wrong answer.

At one point I had to ask the judge if he'd ask Mr Griffiths to give me some time to answer the questions 'cos I can't come out with them straight away "Bromley"

So like sometimes I'd sit there, yeah and I'd think, I'm not answering you until, like, I've figured out what you're talking about.

So like, I'd kind of figure it out, yeah, and then he'd ask me again and at one point I had to ask the judge if he'd ask Mr Griffiths to give me some time to answer the questions 'cos I can't come out with them straight away.

JW: So you got very confused?

B: Yeah I was getting annoyed as well.

JW: You swore at Mr Griffiths the QC?

B: Good - I should have slapped him.

JW: But people don't do that.

B: No, well he wasn't there to hear what I said - like, he could have put me in a state, yeah, where I could have killed myself because of what he was saying, yeah.

He was telling me that I'm practically lying, yeah. He, trying to get my story twisted, yeah.

JW: He was doing his job, wasn't he? This is his job...

B: Yeah, but...

JW: ...to test you and to see if you're telling the truth.

B: Yeah, but I'm not an adult you know, my mind doesn't run like an adult and especially at 12 years old. It ain't my fault that I didn't make a good impression.

This is me, I can't change myself - what, I'm supposed to sit there with my back up and talk, say like, I come across all nice - no.

They can't bring a little girl to court and make her sit there and ask her questions that are going to set her off because I'm not a girl that will sit there, you know, and like not say nothing. "Bromley"

I think the judge, yeah, didn't know, yeah, about girls like me - girls, 'cos, I think the judge has seen girls that go to Sunday school and stuff like that, yeah - you understand where I'm coming from?

And I don't do none of that so therefore I'm a bad person to him. So that got brung [sic] up in court, yeah. I don't think they could handle the way like I come across because I didn't like certain things yeah, so I corrected it and they didn't like that.

JW: But can't you see that your anger in that courtroom got in the way, perhaps, of justice?

B: No. The way they went about is wrong. They can't bring a little girl to court and make her sit there and ask her questions that are going to set her off because I'm not a girl that will sit there, you know, and like not say nothing.

I'm made [me] because I've got a short temper so they should have...they was working out my background so they should have worked out the way I acted and reacted to stuff.