A man in Dublin has pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of his partner and intentionally ending the life of an unborn baby.
In April 2021, Dean Paget attempted to murder his then-partner, Lisa Ward, in Dublin while she was 32 weeks pregnant with their baby. The assault resulted in the death of the baby.
During the criminal proceedings, graphic footage showed Paget repeatedly punching and kicking Ms Ward while she was on the ground.
Paget could be heard shouting “I’ll rip her out of you”, in reference to his unborn baby daughter, as he repeatedly kicked Ms Ward in the abdomen, the court was told. Dr Heidi Okkers, Assistant State Pathologist, presented evidence that the baby likely died by placental abruption caused by the attack.
In a victim impact statement, Ms Ward said all she wanted was “my little girl, Ruby Rose”.
“I’m only 32 and I don’t know how I’m going to face life with the effect this has had on me”, she said.
The assailant has 68 prior convictions for various offences such as drug misuse, theft and criminal damage.
Paget will be sentenced later this month for attempted murder and intentionally ending the life of a foetus.
‘DIY’ abortions make it harder to identify cases of abuse and coercion
In response to a parliamentary question from Carol Nolan TD on Thursday 3 March 2022, the Health Service Executive (HSE) in Ireland claimed that telemedicine abortion (‘DIY’ home abortion) had been a success but also conceded that “meeting the woman in person increases the likelihood of the provider identifying any coercion or domestic abuse”.
When the UK Government was looking at whether to end allowing ‘DIY’ abortions in England, Dr Calum Miller, NHS doctor and research associate at the University of Oxford specialising in abortion policy, urged the Government to “prioritise women’s safety above the interests of abortion providers by shutting the lid on it once and for all”.
Dr Miller argued that since the introduction of ‘DIY’ abortions, which allows abortion to take place entirely outside of a clinical setting, “the evidence has only piled up more and more against it”.
Right To Life UK spokesperson, Catherine Robinson, said “Cases such as Ms Ward’s highlight the need for safeguards to protect the lives of the mother and child. ‘DIY’ abortions remove important safeguards, leaving mothers vulnerable to abuse and coercion”.
