At Derby Crown Court, 40‑year‑old Anna Podedworna told jurors she acted in self‑defence after striking her partner, 30‑year‑old Izabela Zablocka, with a horse figurine and later dismembering and burying the body in their garden. Podedworna said the relationship involved frequent arguments and that Zablocka had previously threatened and strangled her. She told the court she attempted resuscitation, feared calling police would not result in her being believed, and later buried the remains; the trial is ongoing.
Woman on Trial Says She Acted in 'Self‑Defence' After Hitting Partner With Horse Figurine, Dismembering and Burying Body
Izabela ZablockaDerbyshire Constabulary
Anna Podedworna, 40, told jurors at Derby Crown Court on Tuesday, Feb. 3, that she acted in self‑defence after an altercation with her partner, 30‑year‑old Izabela Zablocka. Podedworna gave evidence that she struck Zablocka with a horse figurine, later dismembered the body and buried it in the couple's garden. The alleged killing dates to 2010; the trial is ongoing and no verdict has been reached.
Court Testimony
Podedworna said the couple, who moved in together in 2009 after Zablocka relocated from Poland, frequently argued about money, work and jealousy. She told the court that Zablocka had previously threatened to kill her and had strangled her about two weeks before the fatal incident.
Izabela ZablockaDerbyshire Constabulary
Describing the day of the alleged killing in August or September 2010, Podedworna said she returned home to Zablocka shouting because she was roughly 10 minutes late. She told jurors Zablocka grabbed her by the neck and pinned her to the wall. 'Initially I was trying to push her away, but it wasn't working so I started to strangle her,' she said.
Podedworna told the court she then reached for a nearby horse figurine and struck Zablocka over the head. After a second blow, Zablocka collapsed. Podedworna said she checked for a pulse and attempted resuscitation before concluding her partner was dead.
Izabela ZablockaDerbyshire Constabulary
Aftermath
The defendant said she considered calling emergency services but feared there were no witnesses and that nobody would believe her account of self‑defence. 'If I called, I had no witnesses; nobody would have believed me that I was defending myself. I was just terrified — I felt fear,' she told the court.
Podedworna said she undressed Zablocka, cut the body in two, wrapped the parts in rubbish bags and buried them in the garden the following day. Prosecutors have previously alleged that the grave was later covered with concrete. Podedworna, who previously worked as a butcher, said she felt 'like some kind of monster' and admitted she felt guilty.
'I was only defending myself,' Podedworna told the court when asked whether she accepted responsibility for Zablocka's death. When pressed by her barrister, Clive Stockwell, she acknowledged that Zablocka had died as a result of the events in the house.
Context And Status
Reporting on the testimony has drawn on coverage from the BBC, The Independent, DerbyshireLive and national outlets. Derbyshire Constabulary and Derby Crown Court were named during proceedings. The alleged killing occurred after Zablocka disappeared in 2010; the trial remains ongoing and no verdict has been delivered.
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