A mother this afternoon admitted in court to having set fire to the front door of the family fostering her daughter.

The mother admitted to being an accomplice to the arson in Gzira on July 19. She caused more than €2,500 in damage to the house.

She also admitted to using violence to try to discourage the foster family from continuing the process to adopt her daughter.

Magistrate Carol Peralta ordered the director of Probation Services to compile a pre-sentencing report on the accused. In the meantime, she was remanded in custody.

The foster father told the police that a week before the incident, he had found two of his car's tyres slashed when it was parked outside his residence.

Police Inspectors Jason Sultana and Saviour Baldacchino prosecuted.