An Afghani minicab driver gave his mistress an 'internet abortion' to make her miscarry his live child, a court heard.
The baby survived for ten minutes outside the womb after Ahmed Raofi, 29, administered Misoprostol tablets to Irene Santos when she was tied up with gaffer tape at his flat in Edgware, northwest London.
He had become enraged that Ms Santos, 39, had refused to terminate the 19-week-old foetus after she became pregnant during the affair.
Raofi had been spending time with his wife in his native Afghanistan when Santos told him on Skype that she was pregnant with his baby.
When he returned to London he attacked Ms Santos for refusing a termination before telling her that he would ‘punch it out of her,’ Blackfriars Crown Court heard.
‘Irene Santos was the lover of the defendant, a Filipino national working in this country - the defendant was married to another woman,’ prosecutor David Markham told the court.
‘The defendant had met Ms Santos in late 2011 and they became lovers - she knew he was married and that he was not seeking a serious relationship.
‘The defendant travelled to Afghanistan in January this year to be with his wife and it was then that Ms Santos told him over Skype that she was pregnant.
‘He had previously made it clear to Ms Santos that the prospect of having a child in these circumstances was something he did not want.
‘When she became pregnant he wanted her to have an abortion and when she refused to do that he took matters into his own had to end the pregnancy against her wishes.
‘In February he had tried to take Ms Santos to an abortion clinic and booked an appointment for her but she refused to go through with it.
‘He told her that he would wait until she was seven months pregnant then, in his words, ''punch it out of her.''
After hours of internet research, Raofi bought packets Misoprostol online and invited Ms Santos to his flat on April 9 with the promise of sex.
Mr Markham said: ‘They had made love on the night of April 9 and after that the defendant produced some gaffer tape and asked if she wanted a ''Chinese massage.''
‘Ms Santos lied naked on her back and could feel plastic against her legs - the defendant then pulled her legs apart and she then felt at least four tablets go inside her.
‘When she screamed he put the gaffer tape over her mouth.
‘In the early hours of April 10 Ms Santos suffered abdominal cramping and bleeding and called 999.
‘The foetus, which was 19 weeks old, came out her before the ambulance arrived.
‘There were signs of life and a paramedic described that he could see the baby breathing and moving for at least ten minutes before it died.
‘Ms Santos told a midwife at hospital what had happened to her and that is when the police were called and the defendant was arrested.’
Judge Aidan Marron said Raofi had ‘surreptitiously’ had sex with Ms Santos so that she was naked and that he could detain her and force the abortion.
‘Overtures to Ms Santos to terminate the baby were to no avail and yet apparently she continued throughout to love you dearly,’ Judge Marron said.
‘You obtained drugs to facilitate a miscarriage and then surreptitiously engaged in sexual intercourse with Ms Santos so when she was naked you could cause the abortion.
‘You denied a woman of a much wanted child and the damage to that woman is manifestly profound.’
Raofi, of Whitchurch Avenue, Edgware, northwest London, admitted to administering a poison with intent to procure a miscarriage.