FOUR PEOPLE ACCUSED OF MURDERING A NEWBORN BABY NOW FACE ANOTHER SERIOUS ALLEGATION — AND IT CENTRES ON WHAT HAPPENED AFTER HER DEATH

Four people accused of murdering a newborn baby girl in Sheffield are now facing another serious allegation — one that prosecutors say concerns what allegedly happened after the infant died.

Andrea Skopova, 20, Peter Horvath Jr, 19, Peter Horvath Sr, 38, and Nina Horvathova, 37, are accused of murdering the newborn, known publicly only as Baby S.

But the murder charge is not the only allegation they face.

All four have also been charged with causing or allowing the death of a child and perverting the course of justice by taking steps to conceal the killing of an infant.

The allegations have added another disturbing layer to a case that has shocked the Sheffield community.

THE BABY WAS FOUND IN AN OUTBUILDING

Baby S was found dead at a property on Holywell Heights in the Wincobank area of Sheffield on Sunday, August 30.

Police had been called following concerns about the safety of a newborn.

A forensic post-mortem examination later established that the baby’s cause of death was stab wounds.

A court previously heard that Baby S had suffered 33 wounds from 15 separate stabbings. Her body was found wrapped in a towel and inside a blue bag on top of a washing machine in an outhouse.

The horrifying discovery triggered a major police investigation.

FOUR ADULTS NOW FACE THREE CHARGES EACH

Skopova, Horvath Jr, Horvath Sr and Horvathova appeared in court as the case moved toward trial.

Prosecutors allege that the four were involved not only in the circumstances surrounding Baby S’s death, but also in actions allegedly taken afterward.

Their charges include:

• Murder
• Causing or allowing the death of a child
• Perverting the course of justice by taking steps to conceal the killing of an infant

The Crown Prosecution Service has stressed that these remain allegations and that the defendants are entitled to a fair trial. The CPS has also warned against online speculation or sharing information that could prejudice the proceedings.

A 15-YEAR-OLD GIRL ALSO APPEARED IN COURT

A 15-year-old girl appeared alongside the four adults.

She has been charged with perverting the course of justice.

Because she is under 18, she cannot legally be named.

Importantly, authorities have not publicly charged the teenager with murder. Her allegation relates specifically to perverting the course of justice. She was remanded into youth custody.

A HEAVILY GUARDED COURTROOM

The defendants appeared at Sheffield Crown Court in a highly emotional hearing.

They sat in a glass-fronted dock surrounded by security staff, with seven security guards and two Slovak interpreters present.

Twenty-six relatives watched from the public gallery.

Reports from the hearing described an emotional atmosphere, with Skopova and the teenage girl crying during proceedings and members of the defendants’ families also becoming visibly distressed.

The hearing itself was brief.

But what happens next could keep the case in the public spotlight for months.

TRIAL SET FOR 2027

Judge Sarah Wright remanded all five defendants in custody and set their next hearing for October 2.

A provisional trial date has been scheduled for April 12, 2027, with the trial expected to last several weeks.

Two other women, aged 26 and 37, who were previously arrested on suspicion of murder remain on bail.

Meanwhile, detectives continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding Baby S’s death.

Police have urged members of the public not to speculate about the case or post information online, warning that doing so could interfere with the legal process.

WHAT HAPPENED AFTERWARD?

That is now one of the most troubling questions surrounding the case.

The four adults are not only accused of involvement in Baby S’s death.

They are also accused of taking steps to conceal the killing afterward.

Those allegations have yet to be tested at trial.

For now, Baby S remains at the centre of a case that has raised heartbreaking questions about what happened inside the Sheffield property — and what prosecutors believe happened in the moments after the newborn girl died.

The answers may not come until the trial begins next year.