Dereham man found guilty of spiking pregnant woman with abortion drug
The victim miscarried shortly after
A Norfolk man who gave orange juice to a woman that he spiked with an abortion-inducing drug has been found guilty of administering a poison to procure a miscarriage after she lost her unborn baby.
Stuart Worby, who's 40 and from Malthouse Close, Dereham, crushed a tablet of mifepristone into the drink on the night of August 3 2022 without the woman's knowledge or consent, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.
He then inserted a number of tablets of another abortion drug - misoprostol - inside the woman after using deception to engage in sexual activity with her.
The woman had a severe physical reaction within a few hours and was admitted to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital the following day where she miscarried her baby at 15 weeks.
Norfolk Police said the woman, who had wanted to keep the baby, later found messages on Worby's phone to another man - Wayne Finney - which said "it's working" and "there is lots of blood".
It was at that moment that she realised what she had suffered was not a spontaneous miscarriage but a "deceitful and planned termination", the force said.
Jurors found Worby guilty of administering poison or using an instrument with intent to procure a miscarriage following a trial at Norwich Crown Court, the CPS said.
The defendant, who had denied the charges, was also found guilty of assault by penetration.
Nueza Cepeda, 39, of Dereham, pleaded guilty to supplying the abortion drugs.
Worby's bank statement showed he paid for Cepeda to have a medical consultation that resulted in her obtaining the two drugs, the CPS said.
Norfolk Police said the trial heard that Worby had bought the tablets for £470 from a gynaecology centre in London on July 29 2022.
Cepeda had made a telephone appointment to the centre to say she was pregnant, already had a family, and wanted to terminate the foetus, the force said.
The centre explained it was a criminal offence to give the medication to someone else, police said, and Cepeda was given the prescription.
Her boyfriend, Wayne Finney, 41, of Swaffham, was found not guilty of intentionally encouraging or assisting others commit a crime, the CPS said.
"This is a heartbreaking case"
Nicola Pope, of the CPS, said: "This is a heartbreaking case involving a woman who wanted to have her baby but was forced to have a miscarriage by Stuart Worby.
"He committed this heinous crime along with Nueza Cepeda, who helped him by illegally obtaining drugs that are used by women seeking an abortion.
"These drugs give women power and control over their bodies - but the victim was forced to take them without her knowledge or consent.
"I thank the jury who have had to listen to some disturbing evidence, our thoughts remain with the victim of this horrific crime."
The CPS said CCTV footage from the day before the incident showed Cepeda arriving at a pub with a white envelope containing what prosecutors said were the abortion pills and handing it over to Worby.
A gynaecologist gave evidence that simply ingesting mifepristone in the orange juice would not explain the woman's symptoms or cause the spontaneous miscarriage by itself.
She would have had to have ingested misoprostol as well.
A toxicologist explained to the court that police took nail clippings from Worby for forensic testing.
The clippings were found to have traces of mifepristone and misoprostol on them.
A post-mortem examination, including an analysis of chemicals in the baby's system, found traces of mifepristone.
"We pay tribute to the bravery of the victim"
DCI Duncan Woodhams, of Norfolk Police, said: "We pay tribute to the bravery of the victim who has endured the most terrible loss, her courage to come forward and give evidence has been invaluable in ensuring a guilty verdict.
"We also pay tribute to all the medical and health professionals and family, neighbours and friends who have supported the victim in her testimony.
"The impact of this event could have lifelong repercussions for the victim.
"This has been a complex investigation into the deceitful and determined actions of Worby which had such horrific consequences and marks the first of its kind in finding someone guilty of this specific crime."
Worby and Cepeda are due to be sentenced at Norwich Crown Court on December 6.