Woman who murdered, cut up and buried partner jailed

A woman who murdered her partner before cutting her body in two and burying her remains in the back garden of a house more than 15 years ago has been jailed for life.

Anna Podedworna contacted Derbyshire Police last year, telling them Izabela Zablocka's body would be found buried in Princes Street, Derby.

Podedworna, 40, who Derby Crown Court heard was a "skilled butcher", had denied murder but was found guilty by a jury on Tuesday.

At the same court on Wednesday, she was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 21 years.

Sentencing Podedworna, of Boyer Street, Derby, the judge - Mrs Justice Williams KC - said: "It is clear from the evidence in this trial that Izabela was a loved family member, who enjoyed a close bond with her mother, grandmother and her daughter [Katarzyna, known as] Kasia.

"She stayed in regular contact with family members back in Poland... but Izabela did not call her daughter as Kasia expected on 4 September 2010, the day of her 10th birthday.

"As a result of your violent, manipulative and cruel actions, Kasia grew up not knowing what happened to her beloved mother who had suddenly vanished from her life without any explanation.

"Had it not been for the steadfast persistence of the family, who did not give up hope on uncovering what happened, it's likely your crimes would have remained undetected.

"You have shown no remorse. You do not deserve credit for belatedly contacting the police in May 2025 - you only did this to put forward a false account of Izabela's death."

Warning: This article contains details that some readers may find distressing

The jury was told the two women had moved to the UK together from Poland in search of work and lived in the Normanton area of Derby.

The prosecution said 30-year-old Zablocka phoned her mother in Poland on 28 August 2010 and was not heard from again.

Prosecutor Gordon Aspden KC said shortly after this call, Zablocka was murdered by Podedworna, who "dismembered Izabela's body by cutting it in half with a large knife".

Police discovered the defendant had previously been employed as a "skilled butcher", and her work involved "deboning, and portioning out turkey carcasses using a large knife".

The court heard the body was buried in the back garden, before concrete hardstanding was then laid over the top.

In 2025, Zablocka's daughter Kasia, now an adult, got in touch with Polish TV journalist Rafal Zalewski and asked him to look into her disappearance.

In May 2025, Zalewski requested an interview with Podedworna and he flew to Derby to challenge her on the doorstep of her Boyer Street home.

She denied any knowledge of her whereabouts but the court heard she "cracked" under "mounting pressure" and emailed Derbyshire Police telling them where to find the body.

A full-scale search of the Princes Street property in Normanton led to Zablocka's remains being found.

In a victim impact statement read out by the court, Kasia said the impact of her mother's disappearance had been traumatic throughout her life.

"As a young child I was incredibly close to my mother, she was my whole world, so the fact she simply vanished from my life without a single word of explanation was a horrific experience for me," the statement added.

"This sudden void left a deep wound in my psyche which has stayed with me until this day.

"The worst part was the soul-crushing uncertainty. For years, I didn't know why she left me.

"Instead of playing with friends, I was constantly wondering where my mother was and why she stopped calling me. I felt abandoned.

"Even though I lived in limbo for years, in my heart, I always knew my mother didn't leave me on purpose."

Podedworna said she acted in self-defence when she killed Zablocka, but the jury and the judge rejected that claim.

In mitigation, Clive Stockwell KC, for Podedworna, said: "Something must have happened to make this defendant of previous good character behave in the way that she did.

"She has two children aged 11 and six and they will live the best part of their life without their mother."

But Mrs Justice Williams said: "Brutalising her remains was consistent of killing in anger with a partner you came to despise.

"You carried on your life as if nothing untoward happened. You lied to Izabela's mother and your own mother about her disappearance, you lied to the police when a missing persons report was lodged.

"Over the years you continued to lie."

Det Insp Kane Martin, who led the investigation, said it had "been particularly challenging and distressing from the outset".

"Izabela's family have had to learn about the unimaginable horrors Anna Podedworna inflicted upon her in a very public manner, so many years after she was taken away.

"After being killed in her own home in August of 2010, Izabela was brutally and horrifically dismembered by the woman she loved.

"Anna Podedworna, by her own admission, acted like a monster - I don't think my words can describe her actions and her behaviour towards Izabela any better.

"After killing Izabela, she cut her into two, treating her no differently to another piece of meat at work. She then waited for night to fall, to dig a grave in the garden of their home and buried Izabela there.

"She then removed all trace of Izabela - lying and obstructing justice in the years that followed," he said.

Martin said officers had "worked hard through this complex investigation - in Poland and the UK - to seek the truth for Izabela's family and had remained focused and motivated to achieve justice for Izabela".

"Izabela was a much-loved mother, daughter, and granddaughter - nothing can bring her back, but it is my hope that today's sentencing allows her family to lay her memory to rest," he added.

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