A newborn baby girl was allegedly stabbed 15 times and suffered 33 injuries shortly after her birth, according to details presented in a court in Sheffield, England.
The child, identified in court as Baby S, was allegedly attacked in a bathroom before her body was wrapped in a towel and placed inside a blue bag. Police later found her on top of a washing machine in an outhouse.
Andrea Skopova, 20, appeared before Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday and faced charges over the death of her daughter in Wincobank, a residential area in northeast Sheffield.
Her boyfriend Peter Horvath Jr, 19 and his parents Nina Horvathova, 37 and Peter Horvath Sr, 38, also appeared in court. All four face charges of murder, causing or allowing the death of a child and perverting the course of justice by allegedly cleaning the crime scene.
A 15-year-old girl, who cannot be named because of her age, also faces a charge of perverting the course of justice.
All five defendants are Slovakian and required interpreters during the hearing.
Prosecutor Luke Hopkinson told the court that Skopova was the mother of Baby S but the identity of the father was not known.
“A female baby known as S was born in the early hours of Sunday Aug 30 at an address in Holywell Heights,” Hopkinson said.
He said that Skopova gave birth at 37 weeks and later went to hospital, where medical staff realised she had recently given birth. Police were alerted shortly after 5am.
Officers first went to Skopova’s home but did not find the baby there. They then went to an address in Holywell Heights, where they found the child.
“Peter Hovarth Jr is Andrea’s current boyfriend, but he is not the father,” Hopkinson said.
“The baby has catastrophically been injured by a knife. She has 33 wounds from 15 separate stabbings. She was stabbed to her face, torso – front and back.”
“A doctor confirmed she was alive when the attack took place.”
Police recovered a blood-covered knife from the address.
The prosecution also alleged that Horvathova and the 15-year-old girl cleaned blood from the bathroom after the incident. An eight-year-old child was also present inside the house at the time.
District Judge Tim Spruce remanded all five defendants in custody.
