20-year-old mother collapses in tears in court — Police issue a shocking final decision + publicly announce the trial date
Andrea Skopova, 20, broke down in tears as she appeared in court accused of murdering her newborn daughter, a child known only as Baby S. Prosecutors say the infant was born in the early hours of Sunday, 30 August 2026, then suffered 33 injuries from 15 separate stab wounds to the face and torso, front and back, before her body was wrapped in a towel, placed in a blue bag and left on top of a washing machine in an outhouse.
The discovery was made at a property on Holywell Heights in Wincobank, Sheffield, after hospital staff raised the alarm. Skopova had presented at hospital shortly after giving birth at about 37 weeks. Medical staff realised she had recently delivered a baby and contacted police just after 5am. Officers went first to her address on Robey Street in Grimesthorpe. The newborn was not there. They then searched the Holywell Heights house linked to her boyfriend’s family. There they found the child already dead.
A forensic post-mortem concluded that the cause of death was stab wounds. A doctor told the court the baby would have been alive when the attack took place. The alleged assault is said to have occurred in a bathroom at the property.
Skopova stands charged with murder, causing or allowing the death of a child, and perverting the course of justice by taking steps to conceal the killing, including cleaning the scene. Three other Slovakian nationals face the same charges: her boyfriend, Peter Horvath Jr, 19; his father, Peter Horvath Sr, 38; and his mother, Nina Horvathova, 37. All three live at Holywell Heights. Prosecutor Luke Hopkinson told magistrates that Skopova is the mother of Baby S and that the father is unknown. Horvath Jr is not believed to be the father.
A 15-year-old girl, who cannot be named because of her age, is charged only with perverting the course of justice. Two other women, aged 26 and 37, who were arrested on suspicion of murder, remain on bail and have not been charged.
The five defendants appeared first at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on 2 September, then at Sheffield Crown Court the next day. They sat in a glass-fronted dock with interpreters and several security officers. Skopova and the teenager wept throughout the crown court hearing. Relatives filled the public gallery; some also cried. After one woman became inconsolable as the defendants left the dock, the judge ordered the gallery cleared.
Judge Sarah Wright set a trial date of 12 April 2027. The case is expected to last six to seven weeks. All five were remanded in custody until the next hearing on 2 October 2026. The teenager was remanded into youth detention.
South Yorkshire Police have described the charges as a significant step in a complex investigation. Neighbours have left flowers and toys outside the house. An eight-year-old child was also in the property at the time of the discovery, according to court submissions.
None of the allegations has been tested before a jury. The defendants have not entered formal pleas at this stage. Until a verdict, they remain innocent in law. The coming months will turn on medical evidence, forensic examination of the scene, and what the prosecution can prove about who inflicted the wounds and who tried to hide them.
