Man who forced woman to have 'chemical' miscarriage found guilty by jury

A man accused of sexually assaulting a pregnant woman in order to give her medication that would bring on a miscarriage has been found guilty.

Stuart Worby, 40, of Malthouse Court, Dereham, appeared at Norwich Crown Court after he admitted buying the lethal medication but had denied administering it to the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

Today, Wednesday 30 October 2024, Worby was found guilty of one count of sexual assault and of administering a poison or using an instrument to procure a miscarriage after a trial lasting more than two weeks.

The jury was told how Worby administered a noxious substance which caused a ‘chemical’ abortion in the victim, who was believed to be around 15  weeks pregnant at the time. One of the medications involved was found in foetal tissue following a post-mortem examination.

Worby’s friend, Wayne Finney and his girlfriend, Nueza Cepeda, were also suspected to be involved in the research and purchase of the abortion drugs which were administered by Worby.

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, has admitted producing an instrument to be used with the intent to procure a miscarriage and is due to be sentenced at a later date.

The court heard that Worby had bought the tablets of Mifepristone and Misoprostol for £470 from a gynae centre in London on 29 July 2022.

Nueza Cepeda made a telephone appointment to the centre to say she was pregnant, already had a family, and wanted to terminate the foetus.

They explained it was a criminal offence to give the medication to someone else.

She was then given the prescription and the doctor explained the dangers of very heavy bleeding and significant pain between 10-24 weeks of pregnancy as well as more permanent damage to the womb.

The pills were delivered to Cepeda on 2 August 2022 and she then met up with Worby and Finney at the George Hotel in Dereham.

Cepeda is pictured on CCTV carrying a white envelope and places it on a bench where they are sitting and Worby picks it up, pulling out a blue coloured tablet box.

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 diarrhoea and began bleeding.

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. She had been around 15 weeks pregnant at the time.

The victim then found messages on the suspect’s phone to Wayne Finney to say: "It's working’" and "There is lots of blood".

It was at that moment, she realised what she had suffered was not a spontaneous miscarriage, but a deceitful and planned termination.

Worby was arrested on Friday 5 August 2022 on suspicion of sexual assault. Whilst in detention at Wymondham Police Investigation Centre he was further arrested for procuring a miscarriage by poison.

Officers found texts on Worby’s phone discussing abortion medication. Detectives discovered a Google search for Misoprostol as well as searches relating to whether a baby could survive an abortion.

Police investigators found a number of items at Worby’s address including an empty blister pack of Misoprostol in a waste bin in his bedroom, an iphone and a Nokia phone.

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."

He is due to be sentenced on 6 December 2024.

Anyone who has been the victim of a sexual offence can call police on 999 in an emergency or report a crime on 101. If you need further support or don't feel you can speak to police, there are a list of support services who can help here.

Images show the blister pack found in Worby's bin, an example of the blue packet containing Mifepristone which was never recovered, and a custody image of Stuart Worby.