A former paramedic who secretly administered abortion drugs to a pregnant woman carrying his child has been told he faces a lengthy jail sentence.
Stephen Doohan, 33, appeared at the High Court in Glasgow, where he pleaded guilty to assault, sexual assault and causing an abortion.
The woman, who has not been named, suffered a miscarriage after Doohan crushed pills into a syringe and gave her the medication as she lay in bed at his Edinburgh home in 2023.
Judge Lord Matthews warned Doohan he had committed an "appalling offence" that would result in a custodial sentence.
Stephen Doohan pleaded guilty to assault, sexual assault and causing an abortion
Doohan was a Clinical Team Leader with the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) at the time of the offence.
He met the woman on holiday in Spain in 2021, but did not tell her he was married. The pair remained in touch, and the woman discovered she was pregnant in March 2023, which by this time, Doohan had temporarily separated from his wife.
The court heard that after the woman informed Doohan of her pregnancy, she told him she planned to keep the baby.
It was following this revelation that Doohan devised his plan to secretly administer abortion medication.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Prosecutor Scott McKenzie told the court how Doohan crushed abortion pills into a syringe before administering the medication to the woman. The court heard she fell into a "deep sleep" before waking to find Doohan making advances.
When Doohan went to the toilet, the woman took the opportunity to look under the mattress.
"She found a plastic syringe containing crushed tablets, which had been pushed to the end of the syringe," McKenzie told the MailOnline.
The woman had to go to the hospital on March 18, 2023, due to ongoing pain. Doohan accompanied her and pleaded with her not to go to the police, attempting to buy her silence with gifts including perfume, socks, money for a haircut and football tickets.
Doohan appeared in court on May 15
PA
Following a fall the following day, the woman went back to the hospital, but this time she insisted that Doohan not enter the examination room.
The woman eventually reported Doohan to the SAS after recording a conversation in which he effectively confessed to his actions. Police were then informed, leading to his arrest.
Doohan, now of Kirkliston, near Edinburgh, appeared in court on Thursday, May 15, where he pleaded guilty to assault, sexual assault and causing an abortion.
Lord Matthews agreed to continue bail to allow Doohan to attend further mental health assessments before sentencing next month.
However, the judge delivered a stark warning: "You have pleaded guilty to an appalling offence. There will be no alternative to a custodial sentence and, I must say, a fairly lengthy one."
