A court in Sheffield has heard that a newborn baby suffered 15 stab wounds before being hidden in an outhouse. The child, referred to as Baby S, was discovered fatally injured in a house in the Wincobank area of the city at approximately 6am on Sunday, August 30. Allegations state that she was repeatedly stabbed in a bathroom, wrapped in a towel and blue bag, and then placed on a washing machine in the outhouse.
On Wednesday, Andrea Skopova, 20, appeared in court charged with the murder of her baby at the property located in Holywell Heights. Alongside her, Peter Horvath Jr, 19, and his parents, Nina Horvathova, 37, and Peter Horvath Sr, 38, also faced charges related to the murder of Baby S. All four individuals are charged with causing or allowing the death of a child and perverting the course of justice by cleaning the crime scene. A 15-year-old girl, whose identity is protected for legal reasons, has also been charged with perverting the course of justice.
The defendants, all Slovak nationals, required an interpreter during the proceedings and were remanded in custody. Prosecutor Luke Hopkinson detailed that the baby had suffered a total of 33 wounds from the 15 stabbings. He stated that Skopova gave birth to Baby S at 37 weeks and later presented at a hospital. Medical staff at the hospital alerted the police shortly after 5am when they could not locate the child.
Upon attending the address, police found the baby wrapped in towelling and in a blue bag on top of a washing machine in the outhouse, where she was pronounced deceased. It is alleged that Horvathova and the 15-year-old girl cleaned blood from the bathroom. An eight-year-old child was also present in the house at the time of the incident.
District Judge Tim Spruce remanded all five defendants in custody to appear before Sheffield Crown Court the following day. Additionally, two women, aged 26 and 37, who were arrested on suspicion of murder, remain on bail. Detective Chief Inspector Tom Woodward of South Yorkshire Police expressed gratitude to the community for their support during the ongoing investigation.