Girl, 13, appears in court charged with murder

A 13-year-old girl appeared in court after she was charged with murdering a woman whose body was found following a house fire.

Northamptonshire Police said the body was discovered at a property in Wellingborough, in the early hours of Monday morning.

Detectives believe the victim was Marta Bednarczyk, 43, a mother of three children.

Ms Bednarczyk's relatives have paid tribute to the "matriarch of the family".

The girl appeared at Northampton Magistrates' Court on Wednesday morning and spoke only to confirm her age and date of birth.

She wore a grey jogging top and bottoms, and held a teddy bear with both hands during the hearing.

The magistrates sent the case straight to the Northampton Crown Court, where the child was allowed to leave the secure dock and sit next to her lawyer.

She was remanded into youth detention accommodation.

Judge Adrienne Lucking KC told her she would be back in court on 11 April.

Police and firefighters were called to the house in Newcomen Road shortly after 03:00 on Monday following reports of a fire.

The victim was declared dead at the scene at 03:29.

A post-mortem examination gave the preliminary cause of death as a sharp force injury.

In a statement, Ms Bednarczyk, who was engaged to her long-term partner, was described by her relatives as "the matriarch of the family".

They added she was "a very caring woman, a loving mother, and a supportive friend who could never do enough for those she loved".

They said she had moved from Poland to the UK in 2010 and had worked in a warehouse in Wellingborough to bring home money for her family.

"She was so loved by all of us and the tragic circumstances in which she died will haunt us forever," they said.

"We don't think we will ever come to terms with it.

"We are heartbroken at the thought of never seeing our lovely Marta again. She will be missed beyond words, and she will never be forgotten."

Det Ch Insp Johnny Campbell, senior investigating officer from the East Midlands special operations unit, said he wanted to thank officers and staff who had worked "tirelessly" since the "very tragic events".

"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," he added.

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