Accused 'threw crushed abortion pills in the sink'

A man accused of sexually assaulting a woman while giving her medication to cause a miscarriage told his trial he threw the tablets down the sink.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, lost her baby at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital in the summer of 2022.

Stuart Worby, 40, of Dereham in Norfolk, admits getting the medications but denies administering them to the woman.

Mr Worby, of Malthouse Court, said he had crushed a tablet used to cause a chemical abortion and added it to a glass but never gave it to the woman.

Mr Worby told the jury he had "a bit of a reality check" and questioned what he was doing.

"I turned to the sink holding the orange juice in my right hand and the glass in my left and discarded the powder into the sink," he said.

He said he had disposed of the other medication by throwing it down the toilet.

Mr Worby denies two counts of sexual assault and of administering a poison or using an instrument with intent to procure a miscarriage.

The trial at Norwich Crown Court previously heard there are two drugs - mifepristone and misoprostol - which work together to cause a miscarriage.

One of the medications was detected in the woman’s blood and foetal tissue analysed post-mortem.

Mr Worby was also asked about statements he made in his first police interview where he denied acquiring the medication.

He said: “I lied about some things; I accept that.”

The accused told the jury he acquired the medication unlawfully and was ashamed of his actions.

Mr Worby is on trial alongside his friend Wayne Finney 41, of Station Street, Swaffham, Norfolk.

Mr Finney denies intentionally encouraging or assisting in the commission of the alleged offence.

The prosecution said Mr Worby asked Mr Finney’s girlfriend to acquire the medication on his behalf.

The jury has been told Mr Finney’s girlfriend Neuza Cepeda, 39, of Walnut Drive, Dereham, has admitted supplying or procuring an instrument to be used with the intent to procure a miscarriage in connection with the case, and would be sentenced at a later date.

The trial continues.

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