JUDGE REFUSES BAIL FOR 15-YEAR-OLD GIRL CHARGED AFTER NEWBORN BABY S WAS FOUND DEAD IN SHEFFIELD

A 15-year-old girl has been remanded in custody after being charged in connection with the death of a newborn baby in Sheffield — as prosecutors accuse her of helping to conceal what happened.

The teenager appeared in court alongside four adults after the discovery of Baby S, a newborn girl who died after suffering multiple stab wounds.

Her identity is protected because she is under 18.

She has been charged with perverting the course of justice, while four adults face much more serious charges including murder.

BABY S WAS ONLY HOURS OLD

Baby S was born at 37 weeks in the early hours of Sunday, August 30.

Her mother, Andrea Skopova, 20, later went to hospital. Medical staff recognized that she had recently given birth and contacted police shortly after 5 a.m.

Emergency services attended a property in the Holywell Heights area of Sheffield following concerns about the newborn.

The baby was subsequently found at the property.

Despite efforts by emergency responders, she could not be saved.

A forensic postmortem later established that Baby S died from stab wounds.

The court was told she had suffered 33 injuries, including 15 separate stabbings to her face and torso, affecting both the front and back of her body. 

FIVE DEFENDANTS NOW FACE THE COURTS

Four adults have been charged with murder:

• Andrea Skopova, 20
• Peter Horvath Jr, 19
• Peter Horvath Sr, 38
• Nina Horvathova, 37

They are also accused of causing or allowing the death of a child and perverting the course of justice, with prosecutors alleging that steps were taken to conceal what had happened to the newborn.

The 15-year-old girl faces the separate charge of perverting the course of justice.

Two other women, aged 26 and 37, were arrested during the investigation but were subsequently released on bail. 

WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE BABY DIED?

One of the most disturbing allegations heard in the case concerns what investigators say happened after Baby S suffered her fatal injuries.

The court was told that the newborn was allegedly wrapped in a towel, placed inside a blue bag and left on top of a washing machine in an outhouse.

The four adult defendants are accused of taking steps to conceal the baby’s death.

The teenager’s charge relates to the alleged obstruction of justice.

However, the precise evidence against the 15-year-old has not all been made public, and it would be inappropriate to assume that every allegation reported about the wider case applies to her personally. 

AN EMOTIONAL COURT APPEARANCE

The defendants later appeared at Sheffield Crown Court.

The hearing was attended by family members, while security was increased inside the courtroom.

Reports said 26 relatives watched from the public gallery, with seven security guards and two Slovak interpreters present around the glass-fronted dock.

Skopova was reportedly emotional during the hearing.

All five defendants were remanded in custody.

Judge Sarah Wright set the trial for April 12, 2027, with the case expected to last six to seven weeks. 

THE QUESTIONS THAT REMAIN

Baby S had only just entered the world.

Yet within hours, her death had triggered a major murder investigation involving four adults and a teenage girl.

Investigators are still working to establish exactly what happened between the moment she was born and the moment emergency services discovered her.

Who was responsible for the newborn’s fatal injuries?

What happened inside the property that morning?

And what exactly does the prosecution allege each defendant did afterward?

Those questions will ultimately have to be answered in court.

The four adults and the 15-year-old girl are accused and have not been convicted. The allegations against them remain matters for the court to determine.