Sikh Virgin 'Only Wanted to Teach Murder Victim a Lesson'

A woman accused of luring a man to his death in revenge for a sexual assault has told a court that she did not want him to be badly hurt.

Mundill Mahil, a 20-year-old medical student, told the Old Bailey she had invited Gagandip Singh to her Brighton home so he could be lectured on how to treat women.

Instead the 21-year-old was beaten unconscious and thrown into the boot of a car that was set on fire. His body was found on Blackheath in south London.

Mahil, of Chatham, Kent, told the court she had refused to tell male friends Singh's name as they plotted revenge after she told them he had tried to rape her six months earlier.

She said friends suggested kidnapping Singh, beating him up and even cutting off his legs to teach him a lesson.

Mahil, Harinder Shoker, 20, of Charlton Park Lane, Greenwich, south London, and Darren Peters, 20, of Shooters Hill Road, Blackheath, all deny murder.

Michael Birnbaum, QC, for the defence, said Mahil was worried about her friends' reaction and "made it clear she didn't want him hurt".

"The worst she contemplated was that he might be given a few slaps, nothing more than that," he said.

Mahil was described in court as a devout Sikh who did not believe in sex before marriage. Her "very sheltered life" meant that she was supposed to minimise male contact.

The court heard that Singh arrived at her house in August 2010 as she prepared for an exam. She had been helping him deal with the murder of his father in India the previous year.

He planned to sleep in the living room but instead went into her bedroom and asked for a hug. She said no before he allegedly pinned her down and sexually assaulted her before she kicked him off.

She said she was too ashamed to contact the police and thought her family would blame her for the assault.

The trial continues.