Source link : https://london-news.net/acquitted-and-unburdened-uk-woman-found-not-guilty-of-illegal-abortion-amid-lockdown-trauma/
A woman has been acquitted of unlawfully ending a pregnancy after she utilized abortion pills during the lockdown period.
Nicola Packer self-administered the medication at her residence in November 2020, following a remote consultation that resulted in her being prescribed mifepristone and misoprostol.
Subsequently, she presented a foetus, approximately 26 weeks developed, at Chelsea and Westminster hospital, as noted in the proceedings at Isleworth Crown Court.
After arriving at the hospital, she was taken into custody and subsequently charged with the offence of “unlawfully administering to herself a poison or other harmful substance” with the intent of inducing a miscarriage.
Packer received the medication under emergency legislation enacted during the pandemic—later established as permanent—that permits the distribution of pills by mail after a remote consultation for pregnancies up to 10 weeks old.
The prosecution contended that she believed she was beyond the 10-week mark when she took the pills.
However, Packer refuted the allegations, and a jury comprised of nine women and three men reached a unanimous not guilty verdict after a two-week trial.
In her closing arguments on Tuesday, Fiona Horlick KC, defending Packer, stated, “The circumstances surrounding this case are tragic, but they do not constitute a crime, and Ms. Packer is not guilty of the charges against her.”
She expressed the immense emotional distress Packer must have felt, highlighting the…
—-
Author : rimmaruslan98@gmail.com
Publish date : 2025-05-08 16:02:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
—-
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8