An 18-year-old girl who stands charged with murdering her mother three years ago was this morning sent to live at the YMCA by a court.

The court convicted her of breaching bail conditions and stealing €200 and condemned her to three months imprisonment. But since she had already been behind bars, the girl will be moving to the YMCA.

The girl’s 50-year-old mother Theresa Grech had been foun in a pool of blood at her residence in the Mensija area of San Ġwann in February 2008.

After she was charged with her mother’s murder, the girl had been granted bail.

She was subsequently accused of violating the bail conditions and stealing €200.

Defence lawyer Joe Giglio told the court that the girl had been living in a children’s home and it was being claimed that she breached bail when she left the place and was found at a bus stop some time later.

The girl, he said, had gone to visit her mother’s grave.

After this incident, the home did not want her back and her brother offered to take her in.

She lived with her brother for some time but then moved out and rented a place on her own.

But when she could not afford the rent, she stole some €200 worth of mobile phone top-up cards to pay for it.

She was charged with the theft and breaching bail conditions 10 weeks ago, when she was remanded in custody.

Magistrate Antonio Mizzi found her guilty of the charges and jailed her for three months.

However, since she already served her prison term (two thirds of the three months), she will be moving to the YMCA shelter.