An employee of the Ministry of Interior, who tried to cause a spontaneous abortion of his lover, was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison.
The father of one child, Darren Burke, 43, was found guilty last month of giving Laura Slade the abortion drug mifepristone. The court heard Ms. Slade refuse to drink orange juice – claiming to have found remnants of dust around the rim of the glass – on December 4, 2020, but suffered an unrelated miscarriage weeks later.
Reading a statement about the victim’s impact in court, prosecutor Paul Jarvis described Ms Slade now having confidence issues.
“She talks, for example, about how it makes her feel bad to think about what could happen if she drank orange juice.
“Her experience completely changed her approach to people. It’s hard for her to trust people, even people she’s never trusted before.
“She trusted Mr Burke completely and she felt it [won’t] someday to overcome what he did to her. “
He added that after the crime, Ms. Slade had numerous sessions for PTSD therapy.
Burke, deputy director of the emergency services’ mobile communications program, encouraged the mother of two to terminate the pregnancy and sent her links to an abortion clinic and abortion pills after she became pregnant during their five-year affair.
He claims to have crushed the abortion pills and thrown them in the sink when it became clear that his mistress was determined to keep the baby.
Ms. Slade sent a message to Burke on WhatsApp to inform him that she was pregnant after learning that she was expecting her in November 2020.
Sentence handed down in Isleworth Crown Court in London (Anthony Devlin / PA)
(PA Archive)
Judge Alistair Hamerton, in sentencing, told Burke: “I am also pleased that when you bought the medicine, you intended to give it to Mrs Slade.
“She trusted you completely and as a result she now finds it difficult to trust people.
“Your breach of trust that Ms. Slade has shown you has adversely affected Ms. Slade’s ability to trust others.
“An aggravating factor is that you have destroyed evidence at various stages.”
He said Burke had washed the glass of orange juice and erased the history of his internet search.
“I mean the impact that this sentence will have on the labor market when you are finally released from prison.
“The smallest sentence I can give is 45 months.”
Dressed in a navy blue suit on the dock, Burke showed no emotion when he heard his sentence.
Mr Jarvis said: “On 5 December 2020, Laura Slade called the police to report something suspicious about a drink her ex-partner had prepared for her the day before.
“There has been some discussion about the possibility of Mrs Slade being fired, and reports say Burke did not want her to have a baby,” Mr Jarvis said.
She described herself as numb and wanting to think without Burke in her head.
“She was told she could not have a baby because it would affect everyone. She thought he was thinking of himself.
By November 15, Ms. Slade had decided to have a baby, but Burke told her it would ruin his family life if he did, jurors heard.
The two arranged to meet at Mrs. Slade’s home on December 4. Burke went to the kitchen and returned with two glasses of orange juice.
“He drank a cup of tea himself and there was talk about whether his name would appear on the birth certificate and how much money he would contribute,” the prosecutor said.
“However, Mr Burke’s main interest was to make sure that Mrs Slade drank this orange mixture.
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