London, England (LifeNews.com) -- A British doctor has been found guilty of attempting to poison a former lover in a bid to cause her to have an abortion. Metropolitan Police say 43-year-old Edward Erin, a hospital consultant, attempted to poison Bella Prowse and force her to have an abortion without her knowledge.

Erin attempted to poison Prowse on three separate occasions in early February 2008, officials say. They indicate he used the drugs methotrexate and diclofenac in the abortion bid and tried to administer them once at her home by putting the drugs in a tea he made for her.

Today, Erin, 44, of Kensington and a married father of two, was convicted on the charges and awaits sentencing.

A jury found him guilty of two charges of attempting to poison Prowse in two of the three instances but did not convict him of attempting to cause an abortion without her consent.

After the verdicts he was remanded in custody until a sentencing hearing that takes places on November 16.

Pro-life advocates say the case shows how legalizing abortion empowers men to try to exert control over pregnant women whom they don't want to deliver their baby. Many women in Prowse's situation are pressured into having abortions they wouldn't otherwise want.

Erin worked at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington in West London and pleaded not guilty in the case. He was suspended from his position at the medical center following his arrest.
Prowse, 32, reportedly gave birth to a healthy baby last October despite the attempts to cause the abortion.

An unnamed representative of the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust told the Metro News in January that Erin is no longer on the official register of physicians with the national health service.

"Dr Edward Erin was excluded from working at the trust in February 2008 when a criminal investigation into allegations made against him began," the spokesman said.

Erin has also worked at the National Heart and Lung Institute, based at the Royal Brompton Hospital in Hammersmith, West London and was pioneering research into the effect of smoking on the nose.

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