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Woman appears in court charged with murdering mum ‘found buried in garden' 15 years after she vanished

Woman appears in court charged with murdering mum ‘found buried in garden' 15 years after she vanished

Scottish Sun06-06-2025
'KILLER' IN DOCK Woman appears in court charged with murdering mum 'found buried in garden' 15 years after she vanished
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A WOMAN has appeared in court charged with murdering a mum "found buried in a garden" 15 years after she vanished.
Izabela Zablocka disappeared on August 28, 2010, after speaking to her family in Poland.
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Izabela Zablocka vanished 15 years ago
Credit: PA
Police launched a murder probe two weeks ago after new information came to light.
Human remains, believed to belong to Izabela, were then found in the garden of a home in Normanton, Derbyshire.
Anna Podedworna appeared at Derbyshire Magistrates' Court today charged with murder.
The 39-year-old is also accused of preventing a lawful burial and perverting the course of justice.
Read more news
CHILLING PLOT How killer dad tricked son into digging up mum in plot to evade justice
Podedworna spoke only to confirm her name, date of birth and address during the hearing.
She was remanded into custody to next appear at Derby Crown Court on Monday.
Five people have been arrested as part of the murder investigation, including two women aged 39 and 43.
All five have bailed pending further inquiries, Derbyshire Police confirmed.
Izabela came to the UK from Poland in 2009 and worked at the former Cranberry Foods Turkey and Chicken Factory.
Her family reported her missing to Polish police in August 2010 but the report never reached British cops.
Her daughter Kasia, who was nine at the time of her mum's disappearance, contacted Derbyshire Police in May.
She spoke out after the body was found, telling The Sun: "I definitely want to know the truth as soon as possible."
Samanatha Shallow, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor in the East Midlands, said: 'Following a review of the evidence provided by Derbyshire Constabulary, we have authorised criminal charges in relation to the death of Izabela Zablocka
'Ms Zablocka went missing in August 2010, when she was aged 30. Her body was recovered in Derby on 1 June 2025.
'Anna Podedworna, 39, from Derby, has been charged with her murder. She has also been charged with preventing a lawful and decent burial and perverting the course of justice.
'Our thoughts remain with the family of Ms Zablocka at this time."
Crimestoppers is offering a £20,000 reward for information, which expires on August 27.
Anyone with information can call the charity anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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Izabela's daughter Kasia contacted the police about her mum's disappearance
Credit: Kasia Zabłocka
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I saw kaleidoscopic light before going permanently blind after taking free shots in Laos that killed 6
I saw kaleidoscopic light before going permanently blind after taking free shots in Laos that killed 6

Scottish Sun

time10 minutes ago

  • Scottish Sun

I saw kaleidoscopic light before going permanently blind after taking free shots in Laos that killed 6

Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A BRITISH backpacker who went blind after drinking methanol-laced shots in Laos described seeing a "kaleidoscopic light" before his vision went black. Calum Macdonald, 23, stopped off in the popular tourist destination of Vang Vieng in Laos during his first solo trip abroad last year. 9 Calum Macdonald, 23, went blind after becoming a victim of methanol poisoning in Laos Credit: BBC 9 he was offered free shots at the Nana Backpacker Hostel, which turned out to be contaminated with the chemical Credit: BBC 9 Simone White, 28, died of methanol poisoning after drinking at the hostel a day after Calum Credit: FACEBOOK/UNPIXS He became a victim of methanol poisoning after being given free shots of vodka and whiskey at the Nana Backpacker Hostel. Several travellers were hospitalised and six people died after unknowingly drinking contaminated alcohol in November last year - including Simone White, 28, a lawyer from Orpington in South East London. Calum met two of the victims of the mass poisoning - Annie-Sofie Orklid Coyman and Freja Vennervald Sorensen, both from Denmark - on a night out. The 23-year-old was left permanently blind after ingesting methanol, a chemical found in dodgy booze that turns toxic in the body. He is now speaking out about his story for the first time. Calum was with friends at the Nana Backpacker Hostel in November 2024, he told BBC Breakfast. Free whisky and vodka shots were offered to guests and Calum mixed his with soft drinks. He began to suspect something was seriously wrong the next day when he stepped off an overnight bus at the Vietnamese border. Calum realised he couldn't read any of the administrative forms in front of him. Instead, all he could see was a "kaleidoscopic blinding light". I survived Laos alcohol poisoning that killed my pal Simone White & 5 others - I felt paralysed after drinking six shots Calum told his friends about it and they initially thought he might be suffering from food poisoning. "I remember having this sort of kaleidoscopic, blinding light in my eyes and to the point at which I couldn't see anything,' he told BBC Breakfast. "[We agreed] it was strange but we thought it was food poisoning and the light I was seeing was some kind of sensitivity.' But things further escalated when the group got to their hotel in Vietnam. 9 The Nana Backpackers hostel in Vang Vieng, Laos Credit: AP 9 Guests were offered free shots of whiskey and vodka Credit: AP 9 Calum met two of the six victims of the mass poisoning on a night out Credit: AP "We were sitting in the hotel room, my friends and I, and I said to them: 'Why are we sitting in the dark? Someone should turn a light on'," Calum recalled. The lights were already on. Methanol is a type of alcohol commonly found in cleaning products, fuel and antifreeze. It's similar to ethanol, which is used for alcoholic drinks, but is more toxic to humans because it turns to formic acid when processed by the body. Even a tiny amount can mess with your system, causing vision problems, permanent damage to your central nervous system, or, in extreme cases, death. Because it is tasteless and has only a faint smell, it is impossible to tell if a drink has methanol in it. Why is methanol so deadly? By Sam Blanchard, Health Correspondent Methanol is a super-toxic version of alcohol that may be present in drinks if added by crooks to make them stronger or if they are brewed or distilled badly. The consequences can be devastating because as little as a single shot of contaminated booze could be deadly, with just 4ml of methanol potentially enough to cause blindness. Prof Oliver Jones, a chemist at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, said: 'The body converts methanol to formic acid. 'Formic acid blocks the action of an enzyme that is critical to how the body uses oxygen to generate energy. 'If it stops working, cells cannot take up or use oxygen from the blood and lack of oxygen causes problems in a range of organs as the cells start to die. 'Symptoms of methanol poisoning include vomiting, seizures and dizziness. 'The optic nerve seems to be particularly vulnerable to methanol toxicity, so there is the potential for temporary or permanent blindness, and even death. 'While thankfully rare, methanol poisoning is very serious, and treatment should be given at a hospital.' Booze can become contaminated with methanol if it is manufactured poorly. The chemical is also sometimes used in counterfeit or homemade alcohol to cut costs, which means it's most likely to show up in shady local spirits or cheap cocktails, Travel Aware says. Methanol poisoning is a known problem with cheap spirits in South East Asia where hundreds of people are poisoned each year, according to the charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF). As little as 30ml of methanol can be fatal to humans, but poisoning can be treated if caught 10 to 30 hours after consuming dodgy booze. Simone also stayed and drank at the Nana Backpacker Hostel the day after Calum left. I did really feel like, in many ways, my life wasn't worth living Calum Macdonald After waking up lethargic and nauseous, the 28-year-old was rushed to hospital by fellow travellers in a near paralytic state. Simone suffered seizures and could no longer breathe on her own, so she was placed on life support. She died in hospital nine days after consuming free vodka shots, from a bleed in her brain caused by methanol poisoning. Two Danish women also died after drinking at the hostel, whom Calum had met. 9 Calum recalled seeing kaleidoscopic light before going blind Credit: BBC 9 Simone, pictured with her mum Sue White, was rushed to hospital and died nine days after drinking methanol-laced shots 9 He said learning of their deaths changed his perspective on his blindness. "Part of the way that I [had] dealt with it was to bury my head in the sand," he told the BBC. "I did really feel like, in many ways, my life wasn't worth living. "[The deaths] made me realise that I was very lucky and I felt very grateful that, although I had some difficult consequences, a lot of people did have it worse. "I felt, given that I was lucky enough to survive, I have a bit of a responsibility to try and prevent the same thing from happening to other people." Calum is now learning to use a cane and hopes to apply for a guide dog soon. He is working with the families of three other British people who died following methanol poisoning in South East Asia. They are calling on the Foreign Office to be clearer about the dangers people face when booking holidays in countries where methanol poisoning is a concern. The Foreign Office described methanol poisoning and counterfeit alcohol as a "serious problem in some parts of the world" and said it was working with local authorities and the travel industry to tackle the issue. "We seek to make clear the risks to British people travelling abroad and we raise awareness through our travel advice and Travel Aware campaign."

Defiant locals vow to hang hundreds of St George's flags across UK after council sparked fury by tearing them down
Defiant locals vow to hang hundreds of St George's flags across UK after council sparked fury by tearing them down

Scottish Sun

timean hour ago

  • Scottish Sun

Defiant locals vow to hang hundreds of St George's flags across UK after council sparked fury by tearing them down

It comes after Sir Keir Starmer weighed in on the row FLAG FURY Defiant locals vow to hang hundreds of St George's flags across UK after council sparked fury by tearing them down DEFIANT locals are vowing to hang hundreds of St George's flags across the UK after councils sparked fury by tearing them down. The Union Jack and St George's flags were raised by locals up and down the country as part of a movement online called 'Operation Raise the Colours'. 11 England flags flying on lampposts on Genners Lane along Bartley Reservoir in Birmingham Credit: SWNS 11 A St George's flag is displayed on a street in Tower Hamlets, east London Credit: LNP Advertisement 11 Pictures posted on Operation Raise The Colours Credit: Facebook 11 Flags were also hung on a bridge in Radcliffe, Greater Manchester Credit: LNP Operation Raise the Colours saw flags first raised in East London and Birmingham this month before they were ordered to be taken down. The movement has led to communities across the country hanging up flags on their streets, including Manchester, Bradford, Newcastle, Norwich and the Isle of Wight, in defiance of council bans. Advertisement Activists are continuing to use a Facebook page to help gather flags together. Members are chipping in with offers of transport and equipment, such as ladders. One user posted: "60 of the 120 just collected... going to be a busy few evenings." A second wrote: "I just feel that the time has come to all band together and refuse to be bullied, we are proud of our country and should not be made to feel otherwise." Advertisement It comes after Sir Keir Starmer said he 'absolutely' supports people putting up English flags amid the row, a spokesperson said. Mayor of Tower Hamlets Lutfur Rahman, who was found guilty of electoral fraud in 2015, has thwarted the campaign. The national flags will now be ripped down "as part of routine maintenance". 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Advertisement "While we recognise people wish to express their views, we have a responsibility to monitor and maintain council infrastructure. "Where flags are attached to council-owned infrastructure without permission, they may be removed as part of routine maintenance." This comes after locals put up the St George's flags on houses and streetlights in Northfield, Birmingham, in what was described as a show of "patriotic outpouring". The Union Jack and St George's flags were put up using ladders and cable ties by a group of residents called the Weoley Warriors. Funded by £2,500 of public donations, the campaign is intended to 'show Birmingham and the rest of the country of how proud we are of our history, freedoms and achievements'. Advertisement But Birmingham City Council confirmed the flags will be removed, saying the "unauthorised items" are "dangerous" and could potentially kill motorists and pedestrians. The council said that the extra weight could "potentially lead to collapse" in the future. 11 A residential street in Radcliffe was covered with flags Credit: LNP 11 A roundabout at the junction of Haunch Lane and Warstock Lane in Birmingham was painted over Credit: SWNS:South West News Service 11 Another flag displayed on a street in Tower Hamlets Credit: LNP

Prison staff face ‘game of chess' to keep dangerous gangsters apart due to Scotland's violent turf war on streets
Prison staff face ‘game of chess' to keep dangerous gangsters apart due to Scotland's violent turf war on streets

Scottish Sun

timean hour ago

  • Scottish Sun

Prison staff face ‘game of chess' to keep dangerous gangsters apart due to Scotland's violent turf war on streets

SCOTLAND's raging gang violence is putting jail staff at risk amid boiling tensions between more than 600 rival caged mobsters linked to warring factions. The warning comes amid the worst explosion of underworld violence in years that's included machete attacks, firebombing on homes and businesses as well as attempted murders. 10 SPS chief Teresa Medhurst says the rising safety concerns are 'very worrying'. Credit: Andrew Barr 10 James 'The Don' White is one of the high-ranking hoods currently in isolation. Credit: PA 10 Caged Edinburgh mob boss Mark Richardson has been at the centre of the gang wars. 10 Hitman Barry Harvey was switched jail as part of a plan to disrupt the chaos. Cops have so far nicked 57 people in connection with a wave of incidents in Edinburgh and Glasgow since the chaos began in March. And the bitter war has spilled over into the prison estate with high-profile cons having been moved or placed in segregation in a bid to keep enemies apart. The murders in Spain of Lyons gang kingpins Ross Monaghan, 43, and Eddie Lyons Jnr, 46, have also contributed to spiralling safety fears. Scotland's overcrowded prison population stands at 8,251 and according to jail chiefs around 660 inmates have 'strong SOCG associations' with many low-ranking lackeys linked to warring mobs. Jail chiefs and prison staff reps have now shed light on the efforts they are making to tackle the issue that's added an alarming complexity to Scotland's jails. More inmates than ever before are now held in isolation, according to the Scottish Prison Service. HMP Shotts governor Gillian Walker says the task of managing prisoners caught up in the ongoing gang wars has never been tougher. Speaking to BBC Scotland, she said: 'It's a daily battle to keep on top of it. "For want of a better phrase, it's moving chess pieces constantly. "We're trying to keep up with things and understand a moving picture. As it moves in the community, it moves in prisons as well." Inside Ross 'Miami' McGill's 'links' to caged maniac hitman amid jail blitz on warring gangs SPS chief executive Teresa Medhurst added: "It's very worrying, and it's not just assaults on individuals and different factions, it's assaults on our staff." She went on to say the gang war being tackled by police under Operation Portaledge was "changing the temperature" in some jails among inmates with an interest in what's unfolding. She added: "It is a heroic ask that staff are undertaking just now, to keep on top of keeping people safe," she said. "There are so many factions, so many people who need to be kept separate, that it is making life very difficult for them." Phil Fairlie, the Prison Officers' Association's assistant general secretary for Scotland, has told of the difficulties in hiring new recruits amid reports of officers having their cars firebombed and gangsters trying to manipulate and intimidate. He said: "They've spent a lifetime exploiting people and they try to do exactly the same to prison officers. "We're talking about people who are high up enough the ladder of organised crime gangs, that the level of threat and intimidation is beyond what staff have been used to before. "It is constant, it is hectic and it's very stressful. "We're constantly talking to staff who've got fears and concerns for their safety, just because they're doing their job. "That level of fear and anxiety should be a worry to everybody." Justice secretary Angela Constance said the Scottish Government had taken a range of actions to address the challenges in prisons. 10 Justice Secretary Angela Constance insists efforts are being made to tackle the issue. Credit: Alamy 10 The murders of Eddie Lyons, left, and Ross Monaghan have further inflamed tensions. Credit: The Scottish Sun 10 Dubai-based hood Ross 'Miami' McGill has been blamed for launching a gang war. 10 Jamie 'Iceman' Stevenson is one of many high-rankinh hoods doing time. She said: "We are continuing to work with the Scottish Prison Service and partners on further measures to manage the complex prison population in a sustainable way. "In the longer term, this will be informed by the recommendations of the independent Sentencing and Penal Policy Commission, which we established earlier this year and is due to report by the end of 2025." We told how the gang war kicked off in March when Dubai-based hood Ross 'Miami' McGill, 31, began targetting associates of caged kingpin Mark Richardson and members of the notorious Daniel crime family. Former Union Bear McGill, of East Kilbride blames Richardson associates for ripping him off by using fake cash in a cocaine deal. Then on May 31 this year a gunman shot dead Monaghan and Lyons in Fuengirola as they watched the Champions League Final in Monaghan's Bar. Cops here have played down any links to Scotland's gang war but Spanish authorities are convinced it's linked to the long-running feud with the Daniel clan. We told how feared hitman Barry 'Baghdad' Harvey was among a number of high profile gangsters moved as part of a plan to disrupt caged hoods linked to Scotland's raging gang wars. Harvey - caged for his key role in a three-man gangland death squad - was moved from Edinburgh's notorious Saughton amid claims he's an ally of McGill's. James 'The Don' White, 47, has also been moved in the shake-up for the same reasons from Addiewell to Glenochil, near Alloa, while Richardson has been switched from Glenochil to Low Moss, in Bishopbriggs, on the outskirts of Glasgow. Other notable mobsters currently behind bars include Scotland's so-called Tony Soprano, Jamie 'Iceman' Stevenson. The 60-year-old is serving 16 years in HMP Edinburgh for orchestrating a £100million drug plot involving cocaine shipments hidden in banana cargo boxes and a 'street valium' drug factory that pumped out pills on an industrial scale. 10 Prison staff are at increasing risk in an increasingly complex and overcrowded system. Credit: PA:Press Association 10 Police Scotland's Chief Constable Jo Farrell has pledge to tackle the criminal gangs. We told in May how Scotland's top cop said the force is determined to create 'a hostile environment' for mobsters involved in an ongoing gang war. Scotland Chief Constable Jo Farrell told a policing watchdog officers involved in Operation Portaledge have scoured around 3,000 hours of CCTV footage as part of a massive investigation. There have been 57 arrests linked to the violence so far.

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