BABY S HAD JUST BEEN BORN AT 37 WEEKS — BUT WHEN THE CASE REACHED COURT, ONE BASIC DETAIL ABOUT HER FAMILY WAS STILL UNKNOWN
BABY S HAD JUST BEEN BORN AT 37 WEEKS — BUT WHEN THE CASE REACHED COURT, ONE BASIC DETAIL ABOUT HER FAMILY WAS STILL UNKNOWN
Baby S had been alive for only a matter of hours.
The newborn girl was born at 37 weeks in the early hours of Sunday, August 30, at an address in Sheffield, according to prosecutors.
Her mother, Andrea Skopova, 20, later went to hospital. Medical staff alerted police shortly after 5 a.m. after recognising that she had recently given birth.
What happened next would lead to one of the most disturbing criminal investigations in Sheffield.
But when prosecutors began outlining the case in court, they revealed a striking detail:
Baby S’s father was still unknown.
HER MOTHER’S BOYFRIEND IS AMONG THOSE CHARGED
Skopova’s current boyfriend, Peter Horvath Jr, 19, is one of four adults charged with Baby S’s murder.
His parents, Peter Horvath Sr, 38, and Nina Horvathova, 37, are also accused alongside Skopova.
Prosecutors told the court that Skopova is Baby S’s mother and that she is the girlfriend of Horvath Jr.
But Horvath Jr is not believed to be the baby’s father.
Instead, the prosecution explicitly told Sheffield Crown Court that the identity of Baby S’s father was not known.
That unanswered question is now part of the wider picture investigators are working to piece together.
WHAT HAPPENED AFTER HER BIRTH?
Police were called to a property in the Wincobank area of Sheffield after concerns were raised about the safety of an infant.
Baby S was eventually found in an outhouse at a property in Holywell Heights.
The court heard that she had suffered 33 wounds from 15 separate stabbings.
Prosecutors said the newborn had been wrapped in a towel and placed inside a blue bag before being left on top of a washing machine.
A post-mortem examination determined that she died from stab wounds, according to South Yorkshire Police.
FIVE DEFENDANTS ARE NOW IN CUSTODY
Skopova, Horvath Jr, Horvath Sr and Horvathova are charged with murder, causing or allowing the death of a child, and perverting the course of justice.
A 15-year-old girl is separately charged with perverting the course of justice and cannot legally be named.
All five have been remanded in custody.
Two other women, aged 26 and 37, who were arrested on suspicion of murder remain on bail while the investigation continues.
A TRIAL IS NOW SET
At Sheffield Crown Court, Judge Sarah Wright set a provisional trial date of April 12, 2027.
The trial is expected to last between six and seven weeks. The defendants are due back in court on October 2.
The Crown Prosecution Service has stressed that the proceedings are active and that every defendant has the right to a fair trial.
For now, investigators are still trying to answer the central questions surrounding Baby S’s final hours — including who was present, what happened after her birth and why her father remains unidentified.
No defendant has been convicted, and the allegations will have to be tested in court.
