A police sergeant was taken aback by the “unbearable” stench of dog urine and excrement inside the room where an intellectually disabled woman spent up to 17 hours a day locked up.

Lydon Zammit described the state of the room, where the woman was locked up with two dogs, as he was testifying in the compilation of evidence against Anna Maria Jimenez, a 33-year-old Maltese who is pleading not guilty to holding the 39-year-old woman, threatening her, assaulting her and causing her slight injuries.

Ms Jimenez is also charged with threatening a 29-year-old woman who has been her flatmate for the past five months. Mr Zammit said the police had gone to the apartment in Birżebbuġa armed with a warrant after they were informed about the case by the 29-year-old, who lived in the same flat.

He told Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit that inside a room of the three-bedroom apartment he had seen a bucket for the victim’s needs and mounds of clothes scattered across the room.

Smell was sickening and overpowering

He said investigations revealed how, at about 8 or 9pm, Ms Jimenez would lock the victim up in her “bedroom” and would give her Playmobil parts for her to put together, which she would then exchange for money at the factory. Ms Jimenez, who works as a cleaner at Mater Dei Hospital, would unlock her upon her return from work at around 3pm, when she would feed her and clean the room.

“When we went to the apartment, the smell was overpowering and sickening. The smell was so unbearable that it was difficult for us to spend much time in there,” the sergeant said.

He said the woman had thanked the police for saving her, after she had been living with Ms Jimenez for nine years. The 29-year-old flatmate who revealed the case after having witnessed the situation since April, told the magistrate that she felt threatened by Ms Jimenez, who had helped her find a job as a cleaner at the hospital.

She testified she was asked to pay more money for rent and had also been pressured to give Ms Jimenez her Cashlink card and the PIN number.

The woman said she had occasionally seen Ms Jimenez slapping the other woman. The case continues on Friday, when the 39-year-old is expected to testify via video conferencing.

Police Inspectors Joseph Busuttil and Sylvana Briffa are prosecuting. Lawyers Joe Giglio and Mario Spiteri are appearing for the defence.