A man has been found guilty of administering abortion-inducing drugs to a pregnant woman without her knowledge, causing her to miscarry.
Stuart Worby, 40, was convicted of giving a spiked orange juice to the woman on August 3, 2022, which contained crushed mifepristone.
He also inserted misoprostol tablets into the woman after deceiving her into sexual activity.
The victim, who was 15 weeks pregnant, suffered a severe physical reaction and miscarried the following day at Norfolk and Norwich Hospital.
Stuart Worby was convicted of giving a spiked orange juice to the woman on August 3, 2022, which contained crushed mifepristone
Norfolk Police
Worby’s accomplice, Nueza Cepeda, 39, pleaded guilty to supplying the drugs.
Both will be sentenced on December 6 at Norfolk Crown Court.
Worby crushed a 200mg mifepristone tablet into the woman’s orange juice without her consent.
Hours later, the victim experienced severe physical symptoms, before being admitted to hospital the next day, unaware of the cause.
Initially, the woman believed the miscarriage was not suspicious. However, she later reported Worby to the police.
He was arrested on August 5, two days after the incident.
The Norfolk Police investigation revealed that Worby had collaborated with Cepeda to obtain the abortion-inducing drugs.
The investigation uncovered damning evidence against Worby.
Police found incriminating WhatsApp messages, including one where Worby wrote: “It didn’t work bro, can vanessa [another name for Cepeda] get on phone tomorrow and say she needs more.”
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Worby’s accomplice, Nueza Cepeda pleaded guilty to supplying the drugs
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CCTV footage showed Cepeda handing Worby a white envelope, believed to contain the abortion pills, at a pub the day before the incident.
Worby’s bank statement revealed he paid for Cepeda’s medical consultation to obtain the drugs.
A post-mortem analysis of the baby’s system also detected traces of mifepristone.
Cepeda’s involvement was crucial to Worby’s plan. She pleaded guilty to supplying an instrument to procure a miscarriage.
Cepeda’s boyfriend, Wayne Finney, 41, was also implicated but found not guilty of intentionally encouraging or assisting others to commit a crime.
The collaboration between Worby and Cepeda underscores the premeditated nature of this crime.
The prosecution’s case against Worby was strengthened by expert testimony.
A gynaecologist explained that ingesting mifepristone alone would not cause the woman’s symptoms or spontaneous miscarriage.
The expert stated that misoprostol must have also been administered.
A toxicologist presented evidence of both drugs found on Worby’s nail clippings.
Worby’s changing story further implicated him. He initially denied administering any abortion drugs to police.
In a later interview, he admitted obtaining a pill with the intention of giving it to the woman, but claimed he changed his mind and flushed it.
This contradicted the forensic evidence and the victim’s experience.
Nicola Pope from the Crown Prosecution Service 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.”
Pope emphasised the emotional impact, adding: “These drugs give women power and control over their bodies – but the victim was forced to take them without her knowledge or consent.”
The CPS representative also acknowledged the jury’s role, saying: “I thank the jury who have had to listen to some disturbing evidence, our thoughts remain with the victim of this horrific crime.”