Overview

• Nicola Packer is on trial at Isleworth Crown Court, accused of illegally using abortion pills at 26 weeks of pregnancy during the November 2020 COVID lockdown.
• Prosecutors allege Packer knowingly exceeded the 10-week legal limit for at-home abortions and the 24-week overall legal limit, citing her internet search history and post-mortem findings.
• The foetus, brought to the hospital in a backpack, was determined to be 26 weeks gestation and healthy at the time of death, according to a post-mortem examination.
• Packer claims she believed she was less than 10 weeks pregnant when she took the medication prescribed after a telehealth consultation with Marie Stopes.
• The case highlights tensions between modern telemedicine abortion access, century-old abortion laws, and the use of digital evidence in legal proceedings.