UK man found guilty of causing woman’s miscarriage by spiking drink with abortion pills
A British man has been found guilty of sexual assault and other crimes for tricking a pregnant woman into drinking a liquid that contained abortion drugs to induce a miscarriage, unbeknownst to the victim.
Stuart Worby, a 40-year-old resident of Malthouse Court in Dereham, Norfolk, was found guilty on Oct. 30 of one count of sexual assault and administering a poison to cause a miscarriage.
According to a press release from the Norfolk Constabulary, Worby had purchased tablets of Mifepristone and Misoprostol for £470 ($598) in July 2022, acquiring them with the help of his girlfriend, Neuza Cepeda, 39, of Dereham.
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In August 2022, Worby urged a pregnant woman who wasn't named in the legal proceedings and had been around 15 weeks pregnant at the time to consume the drink, causing her to suffer a miscarriage.
“The victim, who had wanted to keep her baby, was unknowingly administered the pills and immediately had to go to the bathroom to be sick and had [diarrhea] and began bleeding,” explained Norfolk authorities.
“She then attended the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and after enduring a number of hours of pain and blood loss, she suffered a miscarriage and had to have surgery.”
Soon after the miscarriage, the victim discovered messages on Worby’s phone in which he told a 41-year-old friend named Wayne Finney that "It's working’" and "There is lots of blood." Worby was arrested on Aug. 5, 2022.
Worby is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 6. Cepeda, who obtained the abortion drugs, will be sentenced at a later date for her role in the crime. Finney was found not guilty.
Detective Inspector Duncan Woodhams was quoted in the Norfolk Police press release praising “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, neighbors and friends who have supported the victim in her testimony. The impact of this event could have life-long repercussions for the victim,” stated Woodhams.
“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.”
The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, a U.K.-based pro-life group, also weighed in on the guilty verdict, calling on the government to review their regulations on the abortion pill regimen.
“Even before Worby was found guilty, the woman who was complicit in his plan had already admitted to obtaining the abortion drugs for use on somebody else,” said SPUC Public Policy Manager Alithea Williams in a statement last week.
“It’s not clear whether Ms. Cepeda in this case acquired the drugs over the phone or in person, but there is clearly something very wrong when abortion pills can be obtained to use on somebody else without their consent.”
