Man and woman charged with forcibly triggering miscarriage and disposing of baby's body
A man and woman have been charged with forcibly triggering a miscarriage and disposing of the body of a baby.
Elliot Benham, 23, and Sophie Harvey, 23, were arrested following property searches in Swindon and Cheltenham in 2020.
The pair are charged with "procuring a poison/noxious thing to cause a miscarriage", concealing the birth of a child and disposing of a baby's body.
It is alleged the offences took place between 1 September 2018 and 1 December 2018 and the charges followed a long investigation by Gloucestershire Constabulary's Major Crime Investigation Team.
Benham, of Swindon, and Harvey, of Cirencester, Gloucestershire, will both appear at Cheltenham Magistrates' Court on Thursday.
This is the first update in the case after searches took place at locations in Swindon and Cheltenham in connection with the investigation.
It is alleged in this case the pregnancy was past 24 weeks and was not carried out by a registered medical practitioner.
In England, abortions are legal up to 24 weeks' gestation if carried out by a registered medical practitioner and can be carried out after 24 weeks in very limited circumstances.
The Offences Against the Person Act 1861 states it is a criminal offence to try to cause your own abortion.
