Man, 40, found guilty of forcing unwitting pregnant woman to suffer miscarriage by plying her with abortion drugs
A MAN has been found guilty of forcing an unwitting woman to suffer a miscarriage by drugging her.
Cruel Stuart Worby, 40, secretly plied a woman with abortion medication when she was 15 weeks pregnant which caused her to lose the baby.
He appeared at Norwich Crown Court today where he was found guilty of one count of sexual assault and of administering a poison or using an instrument to procure a miscarriage.
Worby had previously admitted to buying the abortion medication but denied administering it to the woman.
The court was told how Worby administered two drugs to cause a “chemical” abortion usually used very early on in pregnancy.
He also refused to take his victim to hospital for three hours on August 4 2022 while she suffered severe abdominal pain.
The court heard how Worby and his friend Wayne Finney made the “cold, callous and calculating” plan after they “put their heads together”.
But they were caught after the victim read a message on Worby’s phone that read “It’s working, she’s bleeding.”
Before the tragedy, one text message from Finney to Worby read: “They are sending pills today”.
To which Worby replied: “Thanks for being there for me, mate”.
Wayne Finney’s girlfriend, Nueza Cepeda, is also thought to have made a telephone appointment with an abortion centre pretending to be pregnant.
She was given medication and made aware of the heavy bleeding as well as significant pain there would be between 10 to 24 weeks of pregnancy.
Cepeda was informed there could be more permanent damage to the womb.
The pills were delivered to her on August 2 2022 and she met up with Worby and Finney at the George Hotel in Dereham.
Worby himself had previously bought Mifepristone and Misoprostol for £470 from a London gynae on July 29.
Cepeda was caught on CCTV with a white envelope and she left it on a bench.
Worby could be seen picking it up and taking out a blue coloured tablet box.
After his victim had suffered the miscarriage and found incriminating texts on his phone, Worby was arrested on August 5 2022.
Cops arrested him on suspicion of sexual assault for inserting one of the drugs into the woman without her knowledge or consent.
He was then further arrested for procuring a miscarriage by poison after investigators found google searches for Misoprostol.
The sick 40-year-old had also looked up whether a baby would be able to survive an abortion.
Officers discovered an empty pack of Misoprostol in a bin in his bedroom at home, as well as an iphone and a Nokia phone.
Worby had admitted he unlawfully acquired the medication but claimed he had a change of heart, the court heard during his two-week trial.
He said he crushed a pill into the woman’s drink but poured it away, which could explain why it was in the woman’s system.
But Edward Vickers KC, prosecuting, said: “The biggest lie of all was when he said his conscience got the better of him and he couldn’t go ahead with administering the drugs.
“We say that is utter nonsense.”
Worby is due to be sentenced on 6 December 2024.
Wayne Finney, 41, of Station Street, Swaffham, denied intentionally encouraging or assisting in the offence.
He was found not guilty by the jury today.
Neuza Cepeda, 39, of Walnut Drive, Dereham, admitted producing an instrument to be used with the intent to procure a miscarriage.
She is due to be sentenced at a later date.
DCI Duncan Woodhams 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 life-long 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.”