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Health visitors had "no concerns about the religion or the religious practices" of a woman accused of killing her three-year-old son through religious fasting, a court has heard.

Olabisi Abubakar, 42, a devout Pentecostal Christian and her son Taiwo were discovered by police at their home in Cardiff in June 2020.

Cardiff Crown Court heard that three-year-old Taiwo weighed just 9.8kg (1st 5lb) and had died of malnutrition and dehydration.

Ms Abubakar denies manslaughter and neglect charges.

She is being treated for paranoid schizophrenia and is appearing at court via video link from hospital.

The jury was told by prosecutor Peter Donnison health visitors had "no concerns about how the boy was raised".

There was no contact with the family from the time of the first lockdown until June of 2020 when the little boy was found dead.

Mrs Abubakar told police she fasted and prayed in order to "talk to God" but denied Taiwo had also fasted.

She said when she fasted "I know my prayers will be answered."

An asylum seeker from Nigeria, Ms Abubakar was moved to Cardiff from London in 2017.

At the time of Taiwo’s death, she was living in rooms in a terraced house in the Cathays area of the city.

It had been divided so that she and the other residents shared a kitchen.

The court was told the decision to move her to the city was made by the Home Office.

She became a member of a local church and the wife of pastor visited her at her home, but after lockdown she said she did not have any visitors.

She told detectives she was frightened to go outside because of the pandemic and was depressed because she did not have any help.

The shared house had a garden, but she and Taiwo did not go outside.

When she and the little boy were found on 29 June, Ms Abubakar was unable to stand.

A police officer who spoke to her whilst she was being treated at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, described her behaviour.

The officer said she was "looking through him, not at him" and later asked "did you kill my boy?"

The trial continues.