A 13-year-old girl appeared in court charged with murder and arson after a woman was found dead in Northamptonshire.
Police were called to a burning house on Newcomen Road, Wellingborough, around 3am on Monday, where a woman was found dead inside.
No formal identification has taken place, but she is believed to be Marta Bednarczyk, a 43-year-old mother of three.
The teenager, appeared at Northampton Magistrates Court today, holding a teddy bear.
She spoke only to confirm her name and date of birth during a four-minute hearing before three magistrates, and was remanded into custody.
She was remanded in secure detention accommodation and also faces a charge of arson with intent to endanger life.
The teenager will appear at Northampton Crown Court this afternoon.
The mum was declared dead at the scene at 3.29am. Her preliminary cause of death is ‘a sharp force injury’, police said. A post-mortem examination is yet to take place.
The girl’s age means she cannot be legally named.
Detective Chief Insp Johnny Campbell, the senior investigating officer from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, said: ‘We have formally charged a 13-year-old Wellingborough girl with murder, and arson.
‘I want to take a moment to thank the many police officers and staff who are working and continue to work tirelessly on this investigation since the very tragic events of early yesterday morning.
‘And, in particular, all our thoughts are with Marta’s family who have been fully co-operative throughout what has been a devastating couple of days for them.
‘Given the developments this evening, we will be making no further comment at this time.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
