The woman was shot next to Mary-Ann as she died

The 19-year-old told Reading Crown Court that less than a month before the murder of Mary-Ann Leneghan an attempt was made to burn down her house.

The woman was tortured with Mary-Ann before the 16-year-old was killed on 6 May last year in Reading, Berkshire.

Six men face charges including murder, rape, attempted murder and kidnap.

Mary-Ann was found dead in the town's Prospect Park on the morning of 7 May after her friend staggered to a nearby road and raised the alarm.

'Horrible person'

One of those in the dock - 20-year-old Adrian Thomas of Battersea, south London, known to the girls as "Redz" - blamed Mary-Ann or both of them for "setting up" a robbery on a flat which he was renting.

During cross-examination by Michael Borelli QC, representing 22-year-old Jamaile Morally, of Balham, south London, the teenager was asked whether she had set up the robbery.

The court was told that after Mary-Ann's murder the woman - who cannot be named for legal reasons - had described herself as a "horrible person".

Mr Borelli told the court that she also spoke of the arson attack, which had happened in April 2005.

'Robbery led to death'

He asked her whether she thought the arson was connected to her ordeal and Mary-Ann's murder and whether they were linked to the robbery at Mr Thomas' flat.

Mr Borelli said: "You knew that the whole reason that your friend had ended up being killed was because of an incident that was your responsibility, a robbery."

The woman said: "If it was my responsibility why didn't they just kill me and not Mary-Ann if that was the case?"

In addition to Mr Thomas and Mr Morally those in the dock include Mr Morally's 23-year-old brother Joshua, of Balham; 24-year-old Llewellyn Adams, also of Balham; 18-year-old Indrit Krasniqi of Chiswick, West London; and 19-year-old Michael Johnson of Southfields, South West London.

Joshua Morally has admitted two counts of kidnap but denies murder, attempted murder, rape and causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

The other five deny all charges.