Paramedic who secretly gave woman abortion drug is jailed

A paramedic who secretly gave a pregnant woman an abortion drug, killing their unborn child, has been jailed for 10 years and six months.

Stephen Doohan, who was a clinical team leader with the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS), administered the drug after he found out the woman was pregnant with his baby.

The woman, who did not know Doohan was married when they were in a relationship, suffered a miscarriage after the 33-year-old crushed pills into a syringe and injected her as she lay in bed at his Edinburgh home in 2023.

Doohan pleaded guilty to assault, sexual assault and causing the woman to have an abortion at the High Court in Glasgow last month.

Judge Lord Colbeck said Doohan had put his victim, who has not been named, “through considerable pain over a number of days, and left her facing a lifetime of pain and loss”.

He added: “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.

“You left her in what can only be described as considerable pain and anguish over the prospect of losing her child before she did, in fact, do so.

“The offences committed by you, frankly, are almost as serious as any this court is ever asked to sentence.”

The judge stated the emotional victim impact statement he had read “radiates with raw pain” suffered by the woman.

Lord Colbeck also imposed a non-harassment order for an indeterminate period of time on the 33-year-old.

Doohan previously featured in a BBC documentary series, Paramedics on Scene.

He was suspended by the ambulance service after it learned of what he had done and he is no longer employed by them.

Doohan – who was married at the time – met the woman in Spain while he was on holiday in 2021.

He did not tell her that he was married and they remained in contact.

She found out she was pregnant with his child in March 2023 and by this time he had temporarily separated from his wife.

The court heard that the woman was at his home in the Grange area of Edinburgh a couple of days after he learned of the pregnancy.

She was in bed when he did something she could not see, but she said she was not “suspicious of his actions” at that time.

The court heard how he used the syringe on her and the woman began to suffer stomach cramps the next day.

Later at his flat, he gave her diazepam for the pain.

The court heard how she ended up in a “deep sleep” and awoke to find Doohan “initiating sexual contact”.

This time she was suspicious of what he was doing but she was also feeling the effects of the diazepam.

When Doohan left the room, the woman took the chance to look under the mattress and found star-shaped tablets and a syringe with tablets crushed inside.

After searching online, she found matching images for drugs that could induce a termination.

Doohan initially denied what he had done before sobbing and claiming he was “scared”.

He said he had got the pills from a doctor but insisted they would not work as it was the wrong dose.

The court heard how Doohan and the woman went to hospital but he pleaded that he would be arrested if she “told the truth”.

The next day, the woman collapsed in the shower and had to return to hospital.

This time she insisted Doohan did not come in the examination room.

It soon emerged that she had suffered a miscarriage.

The court heard Doohan bought the woman gifts including perfume and tickets for a football match to keep her quiet.

But she eventually reported him to the ambulance service, the information was passed to police and Doohan was arrested.

Prosecutor Scott McKenzie said the woman has been “significantly affected” by her ordeal.

Mark Stewart KC, defending, said Doohan was “deeply sorry” for what he had done.

The lawyer added he had issues at the time which affected his “judgement and decision making” although that did not excuse what happened.

When he was convicted, the ambulance service said: “This is an appalling case, and our thoughts are with the victim.

“We recognise the courage it must have taken for her to come forward and speak out.

“As soon as we learned of the serious allegations and charges against Doohan, we immediately took action to protect the public and liaised with Police Scotland.”

Fiona Kirkby, the procurator fiscal for high court sexual offences, said: “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.

“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.”