A young woman charged with murdering her mother at 15 was sent to live with her despite a care order banning such a scenario, a court heard yesterday.

The woman, 20, who cannot be named because she was a minor at the time of the murder, and Robert Zahra, 36, from Għaxaq, are pleading not guilty to killing 50-year-old Theresa Grech in February 2008.

They were also charged with having tried to hide the corpse and with trafficking and being in possession of cocaine and cannabis.

Ms Grech was found in pool of blood at her house in the Mensija area of San Ġwann after having been shot once and stabbed.

During proceedings yesterday, Police Inspector Chris Pullicino said the Attorney General was requesting that representatives from the government social service agency Appoġġ testify.

He said they were being asked to explain how at the time of the murder, the girl was sent from the homeless shelter, YMCA, to live with her mother when there was a care order to stop that from happening.

At this point, Inspector Pullicino called in Anne Cachia as a witness, a volunteer at the Dar Merħba Bik shelter for abused women and their children.

Magistrate Miriam Hayman then ordered that the case be heard behind closed doors.

Earlier in the proceedings, the magistrate noted how only Mr Zahra had turned up in court.

Inspector Pullicino told her that from the information he had she had been spotted near the substance abuse detoxification centre in Gwardamangia and from there taken to Mater Dei hospital.

Since the murder, the woman has had run-ins with the police after breaching bail and was sentenced to some three months in jail after visiting her mother’s grave.