Marta Bednarczyk: Family pay tribute to 'loving' mum-of-three killed in arson attack as girl, 13, appears in court

The woman, Marta Bednarczyk, 43, was pronounced dead at around 3.29am on Monday (March 10) after reports came in of a fire at the property in Newcomen Road.

A forensic post-mortem investigation, which took place today at Leicester Royal Infirmary, gave the preliminary cause of death as being a result of sharp force injury.

A 13-year-old girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has since been charged with arson with intent to endanger life. She appeared at Northampton Magistrates' Court this morning (March 12) and will next appear at Northampton Crown Court this afternoon (March 12).

The family have now released a tribute for Bednarczyk, who is originally from Poland, describing her as “the matriarch of our family”.

They said: “Marta was the matriarch of our family. She was a very caring woman, a loving mother, and a supportive friend who could never do enough for those she loved.

“She moved from Poland to the UK in 2010 - first to London and then to Wellingborough in 2012, where she worked in a warehouse in order to bring money home for her family.

“She was engaged to her long-term partner Eugene and had a small but tight network of friends and family. She was so loved by all of us and the tragic circumstances in which she died will haunt us forever. 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. Finally, we’d like to thank the police for the support they have provided us with since Sunday. They have been very kind and for that, we are really grateful.”