The woman who is accusing a scientist of trafficking her to the UK so she could be used as a house slave has been asked if she is related to the defendant.

During cross examination, defence barrister Tanoo Mylvaganam put it to Methodia Mathias that she was in fact related to Rebecca Balira, who has been accused of forcing the 21-year-old to cook, clean and wash for her while acting as a nanny to her three children, without pay.

During the cross-examination at Southwark Crown Court today, Ms Mylvaganam said that the alleged victim's father and Balira, 45, were cousins and that Ms Mathias went to the defendant's house in Tanzania a year before coming to England.

Ms Mathias said: "I don't know of any family relationship. I was at Rebecca's house working."

Photos of Ms Mathias' family outside Balira's African home were shown to the court, and at seeing a picture of her father, the witness began to cry.

The court heard Balira sent money to her sister in Tanzania to pay for Ms Mathias to sit exams and for her plane ticket to England.

Ms Mylvaganam told the witness: "You came here of your own free will. When you came you were happy.

"Rebecca and her family came to greet you at the airport. They treated you like family, they were hugging and kissing you."

Ms Mathias said: "No one was hugging me."

The witness was then shown photos of her time in London which the defence claim were taken by Balira as a family member.

Earlier the court heard that while visiting the defendant, Ms Mathias had intended to continue studying.

However, Ms Mathias told the court that Balira only allowed her to study once, and after said that she could not pay for the electricity to allow her to study.

Ms Mylvaganam said to the witness: "The situation about not being able to pay for electricity is something that you made up to make your situation look worse."

The defence also said that any claims Ms Mathias made about not being allowed to contact her family were untrue.

Jurors heard that the witness has been working as a house keeper since March.

Speaking to the witness Ms Mylvaganam said: "Is the reason why you don't want to say your relationship with Rebecca is so that you can stay and earn money here?"

Summing up the defence's argument judge Nicholas Loraine-Smith said: "The defence's suggestion is this, that you have exaggerated the treatment that you say you faced from the defendant so that you could stay in this country rather than go back a few days later.

"The advantage to you being that you can stay in this country, earn money and send it back to your father."

Ms Mathias denied this.

Balira, of Waterside Close, Thamesmead, denies trafficking a person into the UK for exploitation, knowingly holding another in servitude and two counts of common assault.

The trial continues.