Mother Breaks Down in Tears in Court as Horrifying Details Emerge Over the Alleged M-ur-der of Her Newborn Daughter, Who Prosecutors Say Was Stab-bed 15 Times and Found Hidden on Top of a Washing Machine
A mother sobbed in the dock today as she appeared in court over the death of her newborn daughter, who was allegedly stabbed 15 times and dumped on top of a washing machine.
Andrea Skopova, 20, is accused of murdering her baby girl in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, after she was found dead on Sunday.
She appeared at Sheffield Crown Court today alongside five other defendants, all Slovakian nationals. They will stand trial next year.
The newborn baby suffered 33 wounds – including on her face and back – in 15 ‘separate stabbings’.
Magistrates were told the baby’s body was found on top of a washing machine in an outhouse at an address in Holywell Heights, in the Wincobank area of Sheffield. Police officers had responded to reports of a concern for the safety of an infant.
Skopova, along with Peter Horvath Jr, 19, and his parents Peter Horvath Sr, 38, and Nina Horvathova, 37, are all accused of the murder of a newborn – named only as Baby S. They have also been charged with causing or allowing the death of a child and perverting the course of justice by allegedly cleaning the scene of the crime.
The fifth defendant, a 15-year-old girl who cannot be named for legal reasons, is charged with perverting the course of justice.
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Andrea Skopova, 20, is the mother of Baby S. She has been charged with her murder and remanded in custody
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Nina Horvathova, 37, has been charged with murder, causing or allowing the death of a child and perverting the course of justice
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Skopova’s boyfriend, Peter Horvath Jr, has also been charged with murder. He appeared in court alongside his girlfriend and parents
All five defendants sat in the glass-fronted dock and were watched by 26 members of their family from the public gallery balcony above.
They were flanked by seven security guards and other staff, as well as two Slovak interpreters.
Skopova, of Robey Street, Grimesthorpe, Sheffield, and the 15-year-old girl wept throughout the hearing.
Some people in the gallery were also in tears, and one woman cried uncontrollably as the defendants left the dock, leading the judge to order the public seating to be cleared.
Judge Sarah Wright fixed a trial date for April 12 next year, adding that it is expected to last six to seven weeks. She then remanded all the defendants in custody and fixed the next hearing for October 2.
On Wednesday, prosecutor Luke Hopkinson told Sheffield Magistrates Court that Skopova was the baby’s mother. The father is unknown, Mr Hopkinson said, and is not believed to be Horvath Jr.
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Slovak national Peter Horvath Sr has also been charged with murder, causing or allowing the death of a child and perverting the course of justice
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A police forensics team could be seen entering the property in Holywell Heights last week, where the baby was found on top of a washing machine
Horvath Jr is the son of the other two adult defendants, all of Holywell Heights. Skopova is his girlfriend.
Baby S was found wrapped in a towel and in a blue bag in an outbuilding at an address in Holywell Heights. Mr Hopkinson said she had suffered 33 wounds from 15 ‘separate stabbings’. The prosecutor said she suffered wounds to her ‘face and torso – front and back’.
Two women, aged 26 and 37, who were arrested on suspicion of murder, remain on bail.
