Bizarre Abortion Inducement Trial Continues in London

The trial of Dr. Edward Erin, 43, continued at the Old Bailey yesterday. He is accused of having given his girlfriend tea laced with drugs in an attempt to abort her pregnancy against her will and without her knowledge.

He is facing two charges of attempting to administer a poison to cause a miscarriage. Dr. Erin began an affair with Bella Prowse, 33, following the St Mary's Hospital staff Christmas party on December 27, 2007. Dr. Erin was a consultant in the chest and allergy clinic at the hospital and Ms Prowse was his secretary.In an account read to the court Dr. Erin wrote that Ms. Prowse had propositioned him during the party and the couple spent that evening in a hotel. They then spent New Year's Eve together in a nightclub and he became a frequent visitor at her flat in Tulse Hill. In late January, 2008, Ms. Prowse informed Dr. Erin that she was pregnant with his child. Dr. Erin has testified that news of her pregnancy came as a “big shock”. Testifying on October 4, 2009 Ms. Prowse presented a rather different picture of his response to the news that she was pregnant: “He said he could not have a baby. He was not ready to have a baby....He was begging me [to have an abortion] and crying.” At Dr. Erin's insistence Ms. Prowse twice scheduled appointments to have an abortion. However, on both occasions she declined to follow through. Up to this point both parties agree on the facts. However, from this point forward the prosecution and the defense have presented two different narratives. Briefly, the prosecution argues that Dr. Erin obtained methotrexate and diclofenac, both known to terminate pregnancies, and attempted to administer them to Ms. Prowse on three occasions. The defense alleges that Ms. Prowse asked Dr. Erin to obtain the drugs and then administered them to herself in an attempt to frame Dr. Erin. Ms. Prowse has testified that she found an unusual yellow powder in her cup after Dr. Erin prepared a cup of tea for her in late January 2008. It is alleged that he also tampered with a second cup of tea in her apartment on February 2, 2008. On February 7, 2008 he is alleged to have spiked a glass of orange juice she was drinking in their office. The charges relate specifically to the alleged attempts made on February 2 and February 7, 2008. On Thursday October 8, 2009 Dr. Erin's wife, Lowri Erin, 44, testified that her husband had had multiple affairs during their marriage and, “the fact that he had relationships with other women was not that important to me....It was just the way things were, it was just the way of our marriage.” The defense alleges that Ms. Prowse did not share that equanimity. They allege that Ms. Prowse became resentful when she learned that Dr. Erin was continuing to have an intimate relationship with another lover, Dr. Malin Roesner, a special registrar at Northwick Park Hospital, northwest London. After his arrest Dr. Erin told his supervisor, Dr Trevor Hansel, that he was being harassed by a “mad woman” who “was seeking a continuing relationship with him and financial rewards” according to police notes of an interview with Dr. Hansel. The defense also challenges the paternity of the child. Dr. Erin testified, “I accept that it is possible [that I am the father]--and I also accept that it could be this chap David.” They allege that Ms. Prowse continued an intimate relationship with her former lover, known only as Dave, for two weeks after her and Dr. Erin began a sexual relationship. Dr. Erin testified that he had attended at the Child Support Agency (CSA) and had a DNA swab test done, but that Ms. Prowse had refused to do the same. The trial continues at the Old Bailey today and the judge is expected to summarize the evidence on Wednesday prior to the jury beginning deliberations.