The grandfather of a newborn girl allegedly murdered by four people, including her mother, was seen breaking down in tears at her funeral in Sheffield.
Maria Skopova, previously referred to as Baby S in court, suffered 33 wounds from 15 separate stabbings. She was found dead in the outhouse of a property on the day of her birth in Holywell Heights, in the Wincobank area of Sheffield.
Funeral at St Marie's Cathedral
A funeral was held for Maria at St Marie's Catholic Cathedral in Sheffield on Monday. Rev Fr Chris Posluszny, who led the service, said the infant's death had "affected the family so hard", the BBC reports.
Rain stopped just before the funeral car arrived, and the baby's grandfather was seen holding a small bright-white casket. There was a moment of silence on the street outside as he broke down in tears and kissed the casket before carrying it in both arms through the doors of the cathedral.
Service and Mourning
Inside, he placed the casket by the altar and crouched, sobbing over it, the BBC reports. A card placed alongside it read: "For Baby Maria. The purest souls never stay too long in this world. With love from a mum x."
The service, conducted mainly in Slovakian, took place before a further private family service at a cemetery in Sheffield. Police said the five people charged in connection with Maria's death would not be attending the funeral. Maria's mother, who is on remand, had asked to be able to watch the service on YouTube from prison, Rev Fr Posluszny said.
Charges and Trial
Speaking to the BBC before the funeral, the priest said: "There has been a lot of tears, there has been a lot of asking of questions - why? How could this have happened?"
Maria's mother Andrea Skopova, 20, her boyfriend Peter Horvath Jnr, 19, and his parents, Peter Horvath Snr, 38, and Nina Horvathova, 37, have all been charged with murdering her. The four defendants, who are all Slovakian nationals, were also charged with causing or allowing the death of a child, and perverting the course of justice by cleaning the scene of the alleged crime. They were all remanded in custody.
A 15-year-old girl, who cannot be named because of her age, is charged with the same perverting the course of justice offence. A trial is due to start in April next year.
