Sheffield baby murder case: Four people charged over dead infant to face trial next year
The four adult defendants faced court on Thursday charged with the murder of a baby girl found in a shed.
The four adults charged with the murder of an infant found in an outdoor shed in the UK will stand trial in April next year.
News of the trial came a day after the UK court heard the baby girl - now known as Baby S - had suffered 33 wounds in 15 separate stabbings by the time her body was found in a building in the yard of a Sheffield home on Sunday.
The four Slovakian nationals Andrea Skopova, 20, Peter Horvath, 19, Peter Horvath, 38, and Nina Horvathova, 37, faced Sheffield Magistrates Court again on Thursday on murder charges and were remanded into custody ahead of their next hearing on October 2.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.A 15-year-old girl charged with perverting the course of justice also faced the court and was remanded into youth custody.
The four adult defendants will also face charges of causing or allowing the death of a child, and perverting the course of justice by cleaning the scene of the alleged crime.
Prosecutors told Wednesday’s hearing that the body of the infant girl was discovered in a bag that was sitting on a washing machine in a shed on the property.
All five defendants appeared together in the dock on Thursday, with Skopova, who is understood to be the mother of the infant, openly crying during proceedings.
Slovak interpreters and seven security guards surrounded the five defendants during Thursday’s hearing.
A trial date of April 12, 2027, was set by Judge Sarah Wright, according to the BBC. The trial is likely to last up to seven weeks.
Two other women who were arrested after the discovery of the body are still on bail.
Detective Chief Inspector Tom Woodward on Wednesday described the charges as a “significant step in our investigation into the tragic circumstances that resulted in the death of this baby girl”.
“I would like to thank our communities, who I know will have been deeply impacted by this traumatic incident, for supporting us as we work through this intricate investigation.
“We would ask the public to avoid speculating and posting information online about this case while the legal process takes it course.
“Protecting the integrity of the criminal justice process is crucial to us securing justice for this little girl.”
