Doctor guilty of poisoning lover's drinks to make her have abortion

Published on Monday 19 October 2009 21:57

A MARRIED hospital consultant was behind bars last night after he was convicted of trying to poison his pregnant lover to kill her unborn baby.

Dr Edward Erin was found guilty of spiking Bella Prowse's coffee and orange juice in an attempt to make her miscarry.

But Miss Prowse, 33, spotted that her drinks had been tampered with and took them to the police, the Old Bailey heard.

Tests showed they contained drugs that induced abortion.

Now father-of-two Erin, 44, of Kensington, west London, faces a prison sentence and the end of his high-flying career.

Judge Richard Hone told him: "A custodial sentence is virtually inevitable".

Erin was remanded in custody to be sentenced on 16 November. He remained stony-faced as he was led to the cells. Miss Prowse, a hospital secretary, wept in the public gallery.

It was the bitter end of a brief romance which started at an office Christmas party in 2007.

A month later, Miss Prowse found she was pregnant. Erin, who thought she was on the Pill, begged her to have an abortion.

But Miss Prowse felt guilty about an earlier termination she had in 2002 and cancelled appointments at a clinic.

Erin was thrown into a panic, trying desperately to get her to terminate the pregnancy.

Miss Prowse, who has a daughter from a previous relationship, told the court: "He said we could not have a baby. He was not ready to have a baby. If I had a baby, it would destroy him. He said it would kill him and that he would have to leave work."

He had sent her texts, including one which said: "I am in a very dark place, love. I want to die but that would be too selfish."

Erin wrote a prescription for anti-inflammatory, abortion-inducing drugs, made out in the name of his German teacher, the court heard.

He ground up the tablets at his flat on 2 February, where his wife saw him but was told he was doing it for work.

After a short trip to America, he laced the drinks on 7 and 8 February last year.

On 9 February, the court heard, he filled out a second prescription, but police could not trace this at the chemist.

He was arrested on 14 February after Miss Prowse went to police. She had a small trace of the drugs in her urine.

Erin said he got the drugs without intending to use them and only after discussing it with Miss Prowse.

Erin, a chest specialist at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, and a research fellow at the Royal Brompton Hospital, denied the allegations against him.

He was found guilty of two charges of attempting to unlawfully administer a poison to Miss Prowse to procure a miscarriage.

The jury could not decide on a charge that he obtained the drugs with the intention of giving them to Miss Prowse without her consent. Prosecutors will decide whether try him again on that count.

Erin was cleared of a fourth charge of putting them in Miss Prowse's Earl Grey tea on February 2 last year.

Miss Prowse gave birth to a healthy boy in September last year.

After the verdict, Miss Prowse said in a statement: "I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Metropolitan Police Service and Crown Prosecution Service. I am especially grateful for the support of my friends, family and daughter during this very difficult time."