Jamie Smith (left) and Steven Blades (right)

A man who plotted to have his pregnant lover beaten up in order to get rid of their unborn child has been jailed.

Jamie Smith, 23, of Athena Close, Stanground, Peterborough, devised the plan after learning Jessica Santos had become pregnant during their affair.

He was convicted of conspiring to cause grievous bodily harm and jailed for seven years.

Steve Blades, 23, of Wells Court, admitted the same charge and was jailed for 12 months.

Peterborough Crown Court heard Smith asked Blades and another man to carry out the assault with a crowbar and a knife after he had lured Ms Santos, 18, from Peterborough, to a secluded park in the city under the pretence of discussing the pregnancy.

He planned to make it look like a robbery and would also be injured during the attack, set for the evening of 21 February.

The knife would be used to threaten the pair, before both were assaulted, but the other man did not want to get involved.

He alerted police and Smith and Blades were arrested.

In a statement Ms Santos said: “It hurts a lot to know that someone I felt so close to could plan this behind my back, yet still be so nice to my face. It’s just evil.

“Nobody has the right to say whether someone, especially a baby, should live or die…”

Det Con Vicky Speirs, who investigated, said: “This was a sickening and extremely dangerous plot to cause a young woman to lose her unborn child.

“Given the level of violence they were prepared to use, we could quite easily have been dealing with a murder.”

Smith and Blades were placed under a 10-year restraining order relating to Ms Santos.