Man and woman charged with illegally aborting baby and disposing of body

Charges come after properties in Swindon and Cirencester were searched in September 2020, police say

Two 23-year-olds have been charged with crimes relating to illegally aborting a baby (Peter Byrne/PA)

A man and woman have been charged with forcibly triggering a miscarriage and illegally disposing of a baby’s body.

Elliot Benham and Sophie Harvey, both aged 23, are also accused of concealing the birth of a child.

The pair were arrested following a long police investigation, which saw properties in Swindon and Cirencester searched more than two years ago.

The Crown Prosecution Service has now authorised the charges and the two defendants are due to appear in Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court on 5 January, Gloucestershire Constabulary said on Tuesday.

Mr Benham, from Wingfield, Swindon, and Ms Harvey, of St Mary’s Road in Cirencester, are jointly charged with procuring “a poison/noxious thing to cause a miscarriage”, concealing the birth of a child, and committing an act with intent to pervert the course of public justice contrary to common law.

Ms Harvey is additionally charged with procuring her own miscarriage by poison/use of an instrument, contrary to Section 58 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861.

Abortion is legal in England up to 24 weeks’ gestation if carried out by a registered medical practitioner, and can be carried out after 24 weeks in very limited circumstances.

It is alleged in this case that the pregnancy was past 24 weeks and was not carried out by a doctor.

The arrests follow an investigation by Gloucestershire Constabulary’s major crime team, the force said.

The offences are alleged to have taken place between 1 September 2018 and 1 December 2018.

Both defendants were released on bail ahead of the hearing at Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court this week.