Nov 19, 2025 01:45 AM
https://metro.co.uk/2025/11/18/girl-13-s...r-24742073
EXCERPTS: A schoolgirl who stabbed a woman 143 times researched what the sentence would be if she was convicted of murder, a prosecutor told a court today.
Marta Bednarczyk, 43, was found in a smoke-filled living room in her burnt-out home in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire in March where she was declared dead at the scene.
Jurors at Lincoln Crown Court heard that the alleged teen killer initially claimed a third party had attacked the mum-of-three. But when the girl was taken to hospital, a police officer and a nurse allegedly saw her smiling.
[...] Prosecutor Samuel Skinner KC said the killing had been planned for several weeks before and she messaged her friends saying she ‘probably wouldn’t be in school for a while.’
Mr Skinner added: ‘She also researched what the sentence would be for a 13-year-old convicted of murder. Whatever she might say now, we say that this killing was premeditated.’
A motive for the murder may never be known, prosecution has said. The girl has admitted unlawfully killing Marta but denies murder by using the diminished responsibility defence.
Mr Skinner said: ‘In truth this issue of diminished responsibility is likely to be the main focus of your attention in this trial because we, the prosecution, do not accept that she has the benefit of the defence of diminished responsibility.
‘We say that we will make you sure that this is a case of murder because she intended to do really serious harm. We say it is murder because she planned the killing, and we say it is murder because she lied about what she did. And we say it is murder because there are genuine specialists in this field of psychiatry and psychology that say her actions were not caused by poor mental health.’ (MORE - details)
EXCERPTS: A schoolgirl who stabbed a woman 143 times researched what the sentence would be if she was convicted of murder, a prosecutor told a court today.
Marta Bednarczyk, 43, was found in a smoke-filled living room in her burnt-out home in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire in March where she was declared dead at the scene.
Jurors at Lincoln Crown Court heard that the alleged teen killer initially claimed a third party had attacked the mum-of-three. But when the girl was taken to hospital, a police officer and a nurse allegedly saw her smiling.
[...] Prosecutor Samuel Skinner KC said the killing had been planned for several weeks before and she messaged her friends saying she ‘probably wouldn’t be in school for a while.’
Mr Skinner added: ‘She also researched what the sentence would be for a 13-year-old convicted of murder. Whatever she might say now, we say that this killing was premeditated.’
A motive for the murder may never be known, prosecution has said. The girl has admitted unlawfully killing Marta but denies murder by using the diminished responsibility defence.
Mr Skinner said: ‘In truth this issue of diminished responsibility is likely to be the main focus of your attention in this trial because we, the prosecution, do not accept that she has the benefit of the defence of diminished responsibility.
‘We say that we will make you sure that this is a case of murder because she intended to do really serious harm. We say it is murder because she planned the killing, and we say it is murder because she lied about what she did. And we say it is murder because there are genuine specialists in this field of psychiatry and psychology that say her actions were not caused by poor mental health.’ (MORE - details)