Mary-Ann was allegedly raped and tortured

Mary-Ann Leneghan, 16, and a friend were abducted by a gang before her body was found in the town's Prospect Park in May 2005. She was stabbed 40 times.

Reading Crown Court heard London-based Llewellyn Adams was persuaded to drive by Adrian Thomas, 20, of south London.

Five defendants deny charges of rape, kidnap and murder.

The trial has been told that the two girls were abducted from a car park, driven in the boot of a car to a tiny hotel room and raped and tortured.

Mary-Ann was stabbed to death but her friend, then aged 18, survived being shot in the head.

I'm not a person that gets involved in anything like this Llewellyn Adams

On Friday, the court was told Mr Adams was persuaded by co-defendant, Mr Thomas to help him "exact revenge" on an unnamed girl, whom Mr Thomas had formed a relationship with.

He said Mr Thomas had told him that the girl had arranged for some other men to attack him and he had been stabbed nine times and then "left for dead".

"When he told me this story, I couldn't believe it," explained Mr Adams, who said he initially refused to drive Mr Thomas and his friends to Reading.

"I was really shocked and I felt bad."

He added: "I was finishing work (at Sainsbury's Central in Victoria, London), I was tired."

The court heard after 20 minutes he agreed to drive them because they "put the guilt trip on me".

Mr Adams said his co-defendants Jamaile Morally, Joshua Morally, Mr Thomas, Michael Johnson and "an Iranian soldier", whose name he did not know, accompanied him to the town.

'Heard a bang'

The court heard that during a police interview Mr Adams said after Mary-Ann and her friend were put back in the boot of his car, he got back into the vehicle with Mr Johnson and Mr Thomas.

They then drove to the town's Prospect Park, where the girls were taken out of the boot.

Mr Adams said he stayed in the car while the girls were taken into the bushes, and "five minutes later, he heard a bang".

Mr Johnson and Mr Thomas returned and after collecting the other men from the hotel, the group drove back to London.

"I'm not a person that gets involved in anything like this," said Mr Adams.

Arrested after raid

"I was just shocked. I'm still shocked about it. I didn't tell no-one at first - the only person I told was my girlfriend - she could tell there was something wrong with me.

"I couldn't tell my family. It really bothered me. It really hurt me."

Mr Adams was arrested by police in a raid on the London home of his girlfriend on 13 May.

Jamaile Morally handed himself into police on 10 May.

He denied raping and shooting Mary-Ann's friend and also denied ever leaving the hotel room.

Adrian Thomas, of Battersea, south London; 23-year-old Joshua Morally, of Balham, south London; Jamaile Morally, 22, of Balham; Llewellyn Adams, 24, of Balham; Indrit Krasniqi, 18, of Chiswick, west London, and Michael Johnson, 19, of Southfields, south-west London, are all on trial.

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

The others deny all the charges.

The trial continues.