Four charged with murder over newborn stabbed to death in Sheffield

Four people face murder charges after a newborn baby girl was found stabbed to death at a Sheffield property on 30 August. A fifth person has been charged with perverting the course of justice.

Four charged with murder after newborn baby stabbed to death in Wincobank

Four people have been charged with murder following the death of a newborn baby girl in Sheffield, the Crown Prosecution Service announced on Wednesday. The Daily Express reports that two men and two women face the charge after the infant was found dead at a property on Holywell Heights in the Wincobank area on Sunday, 30 August.

Officers from South Yorkshire Police were called to the address after receiving reports of concern for the safety of an infant. A forensic post-mortem subsequently established that the baby's cause of death was stab wounds.

The CPS named the four defendants as Andrea Skopova, 20, Peter Horvath, 19, Peter Horvath, 38, and Nina Horvathova, 37. All four have been charged with murder, causing or allowing the death of a child, and perverting the course of justice by taking steps to conceal the killing of an infant.

A 15-year-old girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons due to her age, has been separately charged with perverting the course of justice.

Horvath Jnr, Horvath Snr and Horvathova are all listed as residents of Holywell Heights, Sheffield. Skopova was formerly of Robey Street, Sheffield. All five are in custody and appeared at Sheffield Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.

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

South Yorkshire Police Detective Chief Inspector Tom Woodward described the charges as "a significant step" in the investigation. "I would like to thank our communities, who I know will have been deeply impacted by this traumatic incident, for supporting us as we work through this intricate investigation," Woodward said. He urged the public "to avoid speculating and posting information online about this case while the legal process takes its course."

Lauren Costello, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor at CPS Yorkshire and Humberside, confirmed that prosecutors had assessed the evidence as sufficient to bring the case to court. "Our prosecutors have worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring the case to court and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings," Costello said. "We have worked carefully with South Yorkshire Police as they carried out their investigation."

Costello also issued a warning against online commentary that could prejudice the proceedings. "It is vital that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings," she added.

The CPS reminded the public that proceedings against the defendants are active and that all defendants retain the right to a fair trial.

Source: Daily Express