Doctor found guilty of attempting abortion by poison

A doctor in London, UK, has been found guilty of trying to poison his lover in an attempt to abort the baby she was carrying.

Bella Prowse, 33, found out that she was pregnant to Dr Edwin Erin, 44, of west London, UK, after an affair that began after a Christmas party in 2007. After Miss Prowse refused to terminate the baby, Dr Erin attempted to initiate a miscarriage by administering poison to his lover, the Old Bailey heard. At the time, Dr Erin, a married father of two, worked in St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, west London. The court was told that traces of the drug had been found in Miss Prowse' body as well as in a cup that had been given to her by Dr Erin. Erin, who denied the charges, was found guilty of two counts of attempting to administer poisons by a jury. One instance was in a glass of orange juice and the other instance was in a cup of coffee from Starbucks. He was found not guilty on one other charge of spiking tea when the jury could not come to a decision but the Crown Prosecution Service will decide next week if they will seek a retrial on that charge. Speaking to Dr Erin, Judge Richard Hone said, "A custodial sentence is virtually inevitable." However, as he was led away, Dr Erin showed no signs of emotion. Miss Prowse cried as the guilty verdict was given while her friends applauded. Miss Prowse gave this statement, "I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Metropolitan Police Service and Crown Prosecution Service. I am especially grateful for the support of my friends, family and daughter during this very difficult time." Detective Chief Inspector Mickey Gallagher said in a statement, "This case is only the second of its type to be brought before the courts in 40 years. Bella Prowse is immensely brave. This [case] took a lot of moral courage. I have got a lot of admiration for her." Pending the verdict, Dr Edwin Erin, who was originally from Caerphilly, south Wales, was banned from working with patients by the General Medical Council. A wealthy man, who also owns a property company, begged Miss Prowse to have an abortion after he found out she was pregnant. He claimed that if she had the baby it would "kill him and he would have to leave work". Miss Prowse initially became suspicious of his intentions in January 2008 when she allegedly found yellow powder in a cup of Earl Grey tea Dr Erin had made her. Dr Erin's wife, Dr Lowri Erin, claimed earlier in the trial that she knew of two of her husbands affairs but not of his one with Miss Prowse. She claimed his affairs were "not that important" and that she "absolutely" did not believe the charges against her husband. Dr Lowri Erin also admitted finding her husband crushing white pills at their home. She told the jury that he explained it was "something for work" and also told the jury she found "no significance in his actions". Speaking of the relationship she had with her husband she said, "The fact that he had relationships with other women was not that important to me. I do not know what a conventional relationship is. We loved each other." She also told the court that after meeting her husband at university she waited a further twelve years to meet his mother. Miss Bella Prowse gave birth to a healthy baby in September 2008.