A man adulterated a pregnant woman’s orange juice with abortifacient drugs in a perverse attempt to provoke a miscarriage.
Stuart Worby, 40, pulverized a tablet of mifepristone into the beverage on the evening of August 3, 2022.
Subsequently, he inserted multiple tablets of another abortifacient medication – misoprostol – inside the victim while she was blindfolded, under the pretense of ‘kinky sex’.
The woman experienced a severe physical reaction within hours and was taken to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital the following day, where she lost her baby at 15 weeks gestation.
Initially, she had no suspicions about the miscarriage, but later notified the police after discovering messages on Worby’s phone addressed to another individual – Wayne Finney – stating ‘it’s working’ and ‘there’s a lot of blood’.
In that moment, she comprehended that what she had endured was not a natural miscarriage but a ‘deceitful and orchestrated termination,’ according to Norfolk Police.
Worby, from Dereham, Norfolk, was convicted of administering poison or using an instrument with the intent to induce a miscarriage after a trial at Norwich Crown Court.
The defendant, who refuted the accusations, was additionally found guilty of assault by penetration.
Nueza Cepeda, 39, also from Dereham, admitted to supplying an instrument to facilitate a miscarriage.
Worby’s financial records indicated that he financed a medical consultation for Cepeda, which allowed her to acquire the two medications, according to the CPS.
Norfolk Police reported that the trial revealed Worby had purchased the tablets for £470 from a gynecological clinic in London on July 29, 2022.
Cepeda had arranged a phone appointment with the clinic, claiming she was pregnant, already had a family, and wished to terminate her pregnancy.
The clinic informed her that it was a criminal offense to deliver the medication to another person, and she was provided with a prescription.
Her partner, Wayne Finney, 41, from Swaffham, was acquitted of intentionally encouraging or assisting others in committing a crime.
Nicola Pope, of the Crown Prosecution Service, stated: ‘This is a tragic case involving a woman who wished to carry her baby to term but was coerced into a miscarriage by Stuart Worby.
‘He perpetrated this despicable crime in collaboration with Nueza Cepeda, who assisted him by unlawfully obtaining drugs intended for women seeking an abortion.
‘These medications empower women and give them autonomy over their bodies – yet the victim was compelled to ingest them without her awareness or consent.
‘I express gratitude to the jury who had to process disturbing evidence; our thoughts remain with the victim of this appalling crime.’
CCTV evidence from the day prior to the incident depicted Cepeda arriving at a pub with a white envelope containing what prosecutors asserted were the abortion pills, which she subsequently handed to Worby.
A gynecologist testified that merely consuming mifepristone in the orange juice would not account for the woman’s symptoms or independently cause a spontaneous miscarriage.
She would have had to ingest misoprostol in addition.
A toxicologist explained to the court that police collected nail clippings from Worby for forensic analysis.
The clippings tested positive for residues of mifepristone and misoprostol.
A post-mortem evaluation, inclusive of a chemical analysis of the baby’s system, uncovered traces of mifepristone.
DCI Duncan Woodhams stated: ‘We commend the victim’s bravery in enduring such an unbearable loss; her courage to step forward and testify has been crucial in achieving a guilty verdict.
‘We also recognize the support provided by medical and health professionals, as well as family, neighbors, and friends during the victim’s testimony.
‘The repercussions of this incident could have lasting effects on the victim.
‘This has been a multifaceted investigation into the deceitful and determined actions of Worby, leading to devastating outcomes, and marks the first instance of a conviction for this particular crime.’
Worby and Cepeda are scheduled for sentencing at Norfolk Crown Court on December 6.
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