Girl accused of murder not depressed, says doctor

Marta Bednarczyk died at a house in Wellingborough in March 2025

A 13-year-old girl accused of murdering a woman was not suffering from depression at the time of the killing, a trial has heard.

Jurors were told the teen had searched an online forum for images of murder, torture and executions before the death of Marta Bednarczyk, 43, in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, in March.

The defendant, who cannot be named because of her age, accepts that she unlawfully killed Ms Bednarczyk but denies murder, claiming diminished responsibility.

Dr Tina Irani, a consultant forensic psychiatrist, told Lincoln Crown Court the defendant was not suffering from an abnormality of mental functioning arising from a recognised medical condition at the time of the killing.

Dr Irani told the court there "wasn't information to corroborate" that the teenager was suffering from depression.

"The psychiatric team that saw her [after the killing] did not see any symptoms which meet the criteria," she said.

She added that someone with severe depression would have minimal ability to speak and could appear withdrawn.

Planned attack

Prosecutors allege the 13-year-old planned the fatal stabbing, using more than one knife, and then tried to blame a third party.

Jurors were told Ms Bednarczyk was probably dead before her body was burned in a fire at a terrace property.

At the start of the trial on 18 November, prosecutor Samuel Skinner KC claimed it was "the sad truth" that what lay behind the killing may never be known, but it was not connected to the girl's mental health.

Jurors were also given an agreed facts document on Tuesday, containing evidence accepted to be true by the defence and prosecution.

Details of WhatsApp messages and internet searches linked to the defendant were read to the court, including Google searches such as "How do I know if I've got a mental illness?"; "What age can you go to jail UK"; "What happens when a 13-year-old murders?"

The trial continues.