gettyimagesbank

The Supreme Court has upheld a guilty verdict for a man who tricked his pregnant lover into taking abortion pills three years ago.

The top court on Wednesday upheld the lower court's ruling that sentenced the man, in his 30s, to 14 months in prison on charges of abortion without consent and making threats.

The man started dating the woman in 2014, but then married another woman the next year while keeping the existence of both relationships separate from each other.

When the lover became pregnant for the first time in 2020, he convinced her to have an abortion, claiming that the fetus was at risk of birth defects because he was taking many drugs to stop his hair from falling out. She complied to this request.

However, when she became pregnant again a year later, she refused to listen to him about ending her pregnancy once again. After realizing that she would not be convinced this time, he tricked her into taking abortion pills that he unlawfully purchased online, telling her that the pills were folic acid tablets, which are known to reduce a fetus's risk of serious neural tube defects. As a result, she lost the unborn baby.

She later found out that he was married as her doubts grew over his repeated lies. She then filed a complaint with the police, accusing him of deception, threats and other issues.

Eventually, a district court sentenced him to 18 months in prison, saying that his action left her with "indelible scars." An appellate court reduced the sentence to 14 months, which has been finalized by the top court.