Izabela Zablocka died in 2010 Credit: West Midlands Police
A 40-year-old woman has gone on trial in the United Kingdom accused of murdering her partner more than 15 years ago after the victim’s skeletal remains were discovered buried under concrete in the garden of their former home in Normanton, Derbyshire.
Anna Podedworna is charged with the murder, unlawful burial, and obstruction of justice in connection with the death of her partner, Izabela Zablocka, whose disappearance in 2010 prompted a long-running missing person investigation.
Human remains believed to be Zablocka’s were found during an excavation of a garden at a Princes Street address in Normanton in June 2025, more than a decade after she was last seen.
Officials say the remains were buried under concrete and contained only skeletal fragments and small pieces of tissue due to the length of time they had been concealed.
Prosecutors allege Podedworna killed Zablocka shortly after her last contact with her family in August 2010, and then used a large knife to dismember the body — drawing on her previous experience working as a butcher — before hiding the remains in the garden.
In court at Derby Crown Court, prosecutor Gordon Aspden KC described steps taken to conceal the killing as “deliberate, calculated, gruesome, and time-consuming.”
Podedworna has denied all charges, including murder, preventing lawful burial, and perverting the course of justice, according to reporting from multiple outlets.
Zablocka, a Polish national, moved to the UK in 2009 with Podedworna in search of work. She was 30 at the time of her disappearance and had last spoken to family in Poland on 28 August 2010 before vanishing.
Police and court documents indicate reports of a volatile and turbulent relationship, including arguments and jealousy, were given as context for the prosecution’s case.
Zablocka’s daughter, now in her mid-20s, testified about repeated calls with her mother before she vanished and described the challenges of growing up without closure.
The case, long dormant, was revitalized in 2025 after Podedworna contacted police indicating where the remains could be found — an action that led to the excavation and subsequent discovery in June of that year.
