Butcher murdered girlfriend before dismembering and burying in her own garden

Turkey butcher Anna Podedworna tried to cover up the murder of Izabela Zablocka with “deliberate, calculated, gruesome and time-consuming acts”, Derby Crown Court heard

Tim Hanlon News Reporter and Oliver Radcliffe Live News Reporter

11:45, 10 Feb 2026

An individual dressed in an orange top stands in a room with a blurred background, where other people are partially visible. The scene is set against a white wall, and the lighting suggests an indoor environment.

The moment murderer Anna Podedworna was arrested(Image: Derbyshire Live / BPM Media)

A turkey butcher has been convicted of murdering her partner before dismembering her body and burying it in a garden.

Anna Podedworna, 40, who relocated to the UK from Poland in 2009, attempted to hide the killing of mother Izabela Zablocka through “deliberate, calculated, gruesome and time-consuming acts” following her death in 2010, Derby Crown Court was told.

Ms Zablocka’s body was discovered in the garden of a house in Princes Street, Normanton, Derby, where the pair had shared a home, in June last year after the accused sent an email to Derbyshire Police revealing her former partner was buried at the location, prosecutor Gordon Aspden KC told the court.

Jurors heard that “considerable force” would have been required to sever 30 year old Ms Zablocka’s body in two, and that electrical tape had been wrapped around her legs prior to burial.

The accused had worked as an experienced butcher at a poultry processing plant, where her duties “involved skinning, deboning, and portioning out turkey carcasses using a large knife”, the court was informed, reports the Mirror.

Podedworna, of Derby, pleaded not guilty to murder, preventing a lawful burial and perverting the course of justice.

An individual dressed in a beige jacket and a white t-shirt stands in front of a backdrop featuring a large angel statue with expansive wings and intricate detailing. The setting suggests a contemplative or artistic environment.

Izabela Zablocka was found buried in her garden(Image: PA)

Jurors have now returned their verdict after Judge Mrs Justice Williams KC directed them to commence deliberations on Monday morning.

Taking the witness stand during proceedings with assistance from a Polish interpreter, Podedworna claimed she was acting in self-defence when she struck Ms Zablocka with a horse figurine. The accused told the court that her partner, with whom she shared what was described as a “stormy and turbulent relationship”, had physically assaulted her, forcing her against the wall and throttling her to the point where breathing became difficult.

Podedworna informed jurors that following the incident in which she struck Ms Zablocka, she was unable to detect a pulse, explaining: “I was just terrified, I felt fear. I thought I will bury her. I took the decision I would bury her in the garden.

“I wanted to pick her up whole. I just did not have the strength to pick her up. I had an idea to cut her down. It seemed the only way… to cut her into two.”