A married hospital consultant tried to abort his lover's unborn baby by lacing her drinks with drugs, the Old Bailey heard on Monday.
Edward Erin, 44, had a one-month affair with medical secretary Bella Prowse, 32, before she fell pregnant.
After she refused to terminate the pregnancy, he is alleged to have drugged cups of tea, coffee and even orange juice in an attempt to force a miscarriage, saying "Don't forget to drink your tea" and "why don't you drink your tea and I will do the washing up".
He first drugged a cup of tea after staying the night at her home in Tulse Hill, south London, the court heard.
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| Prowse spotted a white powdery residue in the cup |
Miss Prowse spotted a white powdery residue in the cup, which Erin claimed was limescale and she drank only a small amount.
Five days later Erin, already a father-of-two, put crushed up pills in a Starbucks coffee and the following day he did the same with an orange juice, jurors heard.
She became so suspicious of his behaviour that she did not touch the drinks and managed to keep the liquids, which she took to police.
She also kept the tea cup Erin had used. All three items had traces of drugs which could "procure a miscarriage" or cause birth defects, it was claimed.
On one occasion Erin's wife found him crushing up drugs in the kitchen of his Kensington home, but he claimed it was for a work experiment.
Erin, a consultant respiratory physician at St Mary's Hospital, in Paddington, west London, began the affair in December 2007.
Prosecutor Sean Larkin said: "In January 2008 they discovered Bella Prowse was pregnant by him and they discussed having an abortion.
"After much discussion she decided not to have an abortion. Dr Erin did not want her to have that child.
"He decided to procure her miscarriage by obtaining prescription drugs that had side effects of causing miscarriage.
"He put drugs in quantities expecting her to take the drink and the drugs and miscarry."
The court heard Erin begged Miss Prowse to abort the baby within hours of discovering she was pregnant.
She sent a text message to him after a test proved positive on January 22, to which he replied: "Oh my god, no."
Later he added: "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 he said: "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."
They discussed abortion and twice Miss Prowse made appointments at a private clinic in Streatham, south west London, but on both occasions she cancelled.
By January 31 this year Miss Prowse had become so concerned about Erin's behaviour she contacted a fellow doctor he worked with but Erin allegedly accused her of having her own "agenda".
He stayed with her at her home on the night of February 1 and 2 and made her a cup of tea in the morning which was "unusual".
Mr Larkin said: "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.
"Miss Prowse found this suspicious and in due course when she took that cup to the police it was analysed and a very weak trace of methotrexate was found."
On February 7 they arrange to meet at Starbucks in Paddington, but when Miss Prowse arrived Erin had already bought the drinks.
The lids had been "removed and replaced" and he invited her to drink it, the court heard.
While he was away from the table she poured some of the liquid into a plastic bottle and kept it.
She did the same with an orange juice he had bought her on February 8, while at work at St Mary's.
On February 14, Erin was arrested in his office at the Royal Brompton hospital after the samples she had given were analysed.
The drugs are Methotrexate and Diclofenac and Misoprostol.
Erin, of Kensington, west London, denies procuring poisons with intent to procure the miscarriage of Bella Prowse.
He further denies administering poison with intent to procure a miscarriage and two further charges of attempting to administer poison.
The trial continues. - Daily Mail
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