Suspect in court accused of murdering Polish woman who disappeared 15 years ago

A woman accused of murdering a Polish national who went missing in Derby 15 years ago has appeared in court for the first time after human remains were found.

Anna Podedworna, 39, stood in the dock with an interpreter at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court on Friday morning charged with murdering Izabela Zablocka, who lost contact with her family in August 2010.

Ms Zablocka, who is understood to have been a factory worker, came to the UK from Poland in 2009 when she lived in Normanton, Derby, and was aged 30 when she stopped contacting her relatives the following year, Derbyshire Police said.

Podedworna, of Boyer Street, Derby, is accused of murdering Ms Zablocka between August 27 2010 and October 1 2010.

She is further charged with preventing a lawful burial between August 27 2010 and June 1 2025 and perverting the course of justice between the same dates.

Human remains, believed to be those of Ms Zablocka, were found in the garden of a property in Princes Street, Normanton, after police launched a murder probe.

Derbyshire Police said information relating to her disappearance “recently came to light”, leading detectives to begin the investigation.

Five people have been arrested as part of the inquiry, the Derbyshire force said.

Two other women, aged 39 and 43, and two men aged 41 and 48, were arrested on suspicion of murder and have all been bailed pending further inquiries.

The defendant wore a prison-issue grey tracksuit and black glasses and spoke to confirm her name and date of birth during the four-minute long hearing, and was told her case can only be dealt with by the crown court.

Podedworna was not asked to enter a plea during the short hearing.

She was remanded into custody until Monday when she will appear at Derby Crown Court.