A paramedic who tricked a woman into having an abortion by secretly administering abortion drugs during sex has been jailed for 10 years and six months.
The sentencing comes after a court heard how he caused his victim “considerable pain” and left her facing “a lifetime of pain and loss”, BBC News reports.
Met While Married, Relationship Turned to Tragedy
Stephen Doohan, 33, a clinical team leader with the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS), met the woman while on holiday in Spain in 2021, beginning a long-distance relationship while he was still married, a fact he did not disclose to her at the time.
In March 2023, the woman discovered she was pregnant with Doohan’s child and travelled to Edinburgh to see him. By then, Doohan had temporarily separated from his wife. On 14 March 2023, the day she informed him of the pregnancy, Doohan used a work intranet to search for abortion drugs, the High Court in Glasgow heard.
Secret Administration of Drugs During Sex
On 17 March 2023, during consensual sex at his Edinburgh home in the Grange area, Doohan inserted an abortion drug into the woman’s vagina without her knowledge, per Sky News. The next day, after she noticed white discharge in her underwear and suffered stomach cramps, she returned to Doohan’s flat, where he gave her diazepam for the pain, leading her to fall into a “deep sleep”.
The court heard she awoke to find Doohan initiating sexual contact, and although she felt something hard being inserted into her, she initially believed it was a sex toy, per The Guardian. However, she became suspicious and, when Doohan left the room, looked under the mattress to find star-shaped tablets and a syringe with tablets crushed inside.
After searching online, she found matching images for drugs that could induce a termination and confronted Doohan, who initially denied the allegations before sobbing and claiming he was “scared”. He admitted obtaining the pills from a doctor but insisted it was the wrong dose and would not work.
Hospital Visits, Miscarriage, and Attempted Cover-Up
Doohan convinced the woman to lie to doctors at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, fearing he would be arrested if she told the truth. Later, she attended another hospital with her sister, where she was told she was having a miscarriage.
The following day, the woman collapsed in the shower and returned to hospital, this time insisting that Doohan did not enter the examination room. The court confirmed she had suffered a miscarriage.
During this period, Doohan bought the woman gifts, including perfume, socks, facial cleansing oil, tickets for a football match, and even provided money to get her hair done, in an attempt to keep her quiet.
Victim’s Pain and Loss
The victim’s emotional victim impact statement “radiates with raw pain”, said Judge Lord Colbeck, who noted that Doohan’s actions caused “long-term psychological injury” to his victim.
“You put her through considerable pain over a number of days, and left her facing a lifetime of pain and loss,” Lord Colbeck told Doohan, adding: “You researched and planned what you did to your victim. You used resources available to you as a paramedic before manipulating the woman and executing that plan under the guise of consensual sexual activity.”
The judge added that Doohan’s offences were “almost as serious as any this court is ever asked to sentence.”
Sentencing and Consequences
Doohan pleaded guilty to sexual assault and causing the woman to have an abortion in May, and was sentenced this week to 10 years and six months in prison, with a non-harassment order imposed for an indeterminate period. Doohan was also added to the sex offenders’ register and is banned from contacting the victim.
His lawyer, Mark Stewart KC, said Doohan was “deeply sorry” and “filled with remorse” for his actions, adding that Doohan had issues affecting his judgement at the time, though this did not excuse what happened.
Responses from Authorities
Fiona Kirkby, procurator fiscal for high court sexual offences, described Doohan’s actions as “calculated and heinous”, saying: “Stephen Doohan’s calculated and heinous actions caused the loss of the victim’s pregnancy, robbing her of plans she had for the future.
“He has now been held accountable for this fundamental breach of trust.”
She added: “While offences like this are thankfully rare, I hope this prosecution sends a clear message to all those who seek to inflict sexual harm towards women. We recognise that reporting sexual offending can be difficult but would urge anyone affected to come forward and seek support when they feel ready to do so.”
The Scottish Ambulance Service called it an “appalling case,” stating: “We recognise the courage it must have taken for the victim to come forward and speak out. As soon as we learned of these very serious allegations and charges, we immediately took action, providing ongoing support to her whilst liaising with Police Scotland throughout the investigation.
“We know nothing will change what has happened to the victim and all we can hope is this sentence provides some comfort to them.”