Holiday brags of Damilola witness

A key witness in the Damilola Taylor murder trial was heard today boasting that police were going to pay for a holiday in Spain for her.

The Old Bailey has already been told that the girl was aware of a £50,000 reward when she identified four youths as killers of the 10-year-old in Peckham.

The court was this afternoon shown videotape of the girl being interviewed by a woman police officer in the presence of a schoolteacher acting as an "appropriate adult".

The jury followed on typed transcripts as the girl, who was 12 at the time of the murder and is now 14, is heard to exclaim: "I am going to Spain for free."

The teacher replies: "Oh yeah, so how come you are going to Spain for free?"

Girl: "'Cause the police are paying for it." Teacher: "Are they? Well excuse me, I want to go somewhere."

The exchange was cut short when a police officer interrupted and the girl shouted something unintelligible. Later the girl goes on to say: "I don't get none of my money until I'm 18."

Four youths, who cannot be named due to legal restrictions, deny murdering Damilola and further charges of manslaughter and assault with intent to rob. They are two 16-year-old brothers, A and B, a 17-year-old referred to in court as C and a 14-year-old, D.

George Carter-Stephenson QC, defending youth C, has warned the jury to watch out during the girl's interviews for "references we say to reward money which we suggest are very important". Mark Dennis, prosecuting, told the jury last week: "She was undoubtedly aware of the reward. You will need to consider whether she was motivated in whole or in part by the knowledge of such a reward."

In the first of nine taped interviews, the girl falsely claims that she had been phoned by one of the brothers, who told her they had attacked Nigerian-born Damilola. She said he had told her they had "got rid of someone" and bet her £10 that they had "juked" (street slang for stabbed) the boy. She was asked by police: "What did they say about getting rid of someone? What did they say to you?" She replied: "That's one less African."

However, the teenager has already told the Old Bailey from the witness box that this was a false story she had invented to mask the fact that she had been a witness to the stabbing in Blakes Road. Prosecutor Mr Dennis told the court last week: "Fearing that her close proximity and failure to help

Damilola might have implicated herself in some way in the eyes of the police, the girl initially pretended that she had been told about what had happened."

The interview played to the jury today was made on 26 January 2001 and she did not admit she had actually seen the stabbing until 31 January.

Mr Dennis has told the court that the girl has been consistent throughout in identifying the four defendants as the attackers.

The case continues.