Woman admits aborting baby just a week before due date
Sarah Catt appeared at Leeds Crown Court yesterday and admitted a charge of procuring her own miscarriage.
The 35-year-old bought medication over the internet that would induce the labour, although North Yorkshire Police officers admitted they remain baffled as to her motives. No evidence of the baby has ever been found, according to officers involved in the investigation.
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Hide AdCatt told police she had terminated the pregnancy legally, despite medical records in March 2010 showing her to be nearly 30 weeks pregnant – six weeks beyond the 24-week legal limit for a termination.
North Yorkshire Police revealed Catt had ended her pregnancy within a week of the baby’s due date. Chief Inspector Kerrin Smith, who was the senior investigating officer in the investigation, added: “This marks the end of a long police investigation but many questions remain unanswered.”
Chief Insp Smith added: “During the investigation, North Yorkshire Police gathered evidence that Sarah Catt purchased medication via the internet which would facilitate a labour and delivery of a child.
“The evidence shows this to have happened in the final phase of pregnancy, the third trimester, ie within the last week of the due date.
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Hide Ad“Although a guilty plea has been entered today, Sarah Catt has not co-operated with the investigation at any stage and so the question ‘what has happened to the baby which Catt was carrying?’ remains unanswered.”
The case was adjourned to allow a psychiatric report to be prepared, and Catt is due to appear again on September 17 for sentencing.