Damilola's death shocked the nation

The girl - known only as witness Bromley during the trial - tried twice to end her life after her evidence was attacked by defence barristers and ultimately thrown out of court after the judge said she was "an accomplished liar", her mother says.

Damilola, 10, bled to death in a stairwell in Peckham, south London, in November 2000, after being stabbed with a bottle.

In an interview for BBC Radio 4's It's My Story: The Witness, the girl reveals how her life was ruined by the experience of the trial and having to move house 39 times because of the fear of retribution.

Second time

Revealing how Bromley's deteriorating mental state had led her to try to kill herself, her mother said: "The first time, she drank.

"She went to a friend's house and she said she did it because she couldn't take no more.

"And then the second time she actually jumped in front of a bus.

"This is recently, Christmas Eve, we found her in hospital. She said she felt suicidal, she'd got nothing to go on for."

Aged 12 at the time of giving evidence, Bromley stands by her story despite a wave of criticism after videotapes of her gloating about the reward she would earn from her story were shown to the court.

She told her story to the BBC for no fee and has turned down an offer of �50,000 to talk to a tabloid newspaper.

'Low life'

She told the programme: "I have to stay in all the time. I can't go to school, can't get education, when I'm older I can't get a job.

"What's good about that? Nothing. I'm just going to be another bum in the world. Someone else who's going to be low life on social, that's what's probably going to be me, mate."

"Sometimes I feel proper low from it. I always feel sad."

Her mother added: "I just hope that she can get some of her life sorted out.

"But I don't know if she will be able to. At the end of the day, why did my little girl have to go through what she went through?"

• It's My Story is on Radio 4, Thursday 7 August, at 2000 BST