Doctor guilty of trying to poison lover

A married doctor is facing jail after being found guilty of trying to poison his pregnant lover in order to make her lose her baby. Dr Edward Erin was convicted of two counts of attempting to spike Bella Prowse's Starbucks coffee and orange juice with a drug designed to induce an abortion. But an Old Bailey jury found him not guilty of spiking her Earl Grey tea, and could not reach a verdict on a charge of procuring the drugs. Miss Prowse, 33, who was in the public gallery, sobbed as she waited for the verdicts and buried her head in her lap. Erin, 44, of Kensington, west London, was remanded in custody until November 16 for sentencing. He tried to slip the drugs into Miss Prowse's drinks on February 7 and 8 last year, but she became suspicious and did not consume the drinks. She later gave birth to a healthy child. She told police of her suspicions and traces of the drug Diclofenac were found in the liquid. Detective Chief Inspector Mickey Gallagher said: "Edward Erin is a consultant physician, pharmacologist and honorary senior lecturer. "He has been a medical professional for over 20 years, yet having failed to persuade his girlfriend, Bella Prowse, to have an abortion, he has abused his profession and position of trust, used his medical knowledge to try and bring on a miscarriage. "This was not a morality trial, but the nature of this case in unusual in that it is only the second of it type to be brought before the courts in the last 40 years."

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ITN | October 19, 2009

Tags:. .birth. .bella. .diclofenac. .prowse. .procuring