Former midwife, homebirth advocate Lisa Barrett pleads not guilty to two counts of manslaughter over baby deaths

FORMER midwife and controversial homebirth advocate Lisa Jane Barrett has pleaded not guilty to two counts of manslaughter over the deaths of two newborn babies.

Midwife Lisa Barrett outside the Adelaide Magistrates Court. Picture: Brenton Edwards

FORMER midwife and controversial homebirth advocate Lisa Jane Barrett has pleaded not guilty to two counts of manslaughter over the deaths of two newborn babies.

In a landmark case, Barrett, 51, of Petwood, has been charged with unlawfully killing Tully Oliver Kavanagh and another baby who cannot be named.

Tully was two days old when he died at Northgate in October 2011, while the other baby died at Northfield on New Year’s Eve, 2012.

In the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Tuesday, Barrett entered not guilty pleas to two counts of manslaughter over the deaths.

The deaths were declared major crimes by SA Police in 2013 and Barrett was arrested and charged in June last year.

Prosecutors allege she failed to properly supervise the births while acting as a midwife.

A bid to have key prosecution evidence about the deaths of two newborns thrown out prior to trial was abandoned earlier this month.

Barrett will next appear in the Supreme Court for arraignment next month.