London, October 06: A Married doctor has been accused of trying to poison his pregnant mistress’s drink after she refused to have an abortion.
Edward Erin, a British hospital consultant at St Mary’s hospital in West London, allegedly tried to drug his lover, 33-year-old secretary, Ella Prowse, three times to try and induce a miscarriage.
The first time, Mr Erin allegedly put powdered drugs into the woman’s tea while she was staying at his house, The Guardian reports.
Ms Prowse spotted the powdery substance, and questioned her lover about it.
“He said things like ‘Don’t forget to drink your tea’ and ‘Why don’t you drink your tea and I will do the washing up’,” prosecutor Sean Larkin told the jury.
“As she drank the tea Miss Prowse noticed a powdery substance. Dr Erin said it was probably limescale. He took the cup and rinsed it out.”
Five days later he tried again, crushing drugs into a Starbucks, and into an orange juice the following day, the court was told.
Ms Prowse became suspicious and took the drinks to police.
Police analysed the liquid and found traces of drugs that can cause a miscarriage, the court was told.
Mr Erin’s extreme measures came after he begged Ms Prowse to have an abortion.
Prowse wept as she told the court she had been “hurt” by his reaction. “He said we could not have a baby. He was not ready to have a baby.
“He said he wanted us to have a future and that he loved me. He wanted to take me climbing and he wanted to take me skiing and this would ruin it. If I had a baby it would destroy him. He said it would kill him and that he would have to leave work.”
When Mr Erin first found out about the child, he sent a text message to Ms Prowse saying “oh my god no”.
Later he sent another saying: “I’m so sad and in such a dark place. I want to die but that would be selfish. I don’t know what to do. I’m not stable. I need help.”
In another message he wrote: “I have been with you for four weeks. I’m beginning to love you. I think we can make it, but it’s too much too soon.”
The trial continues.
—Agencies