Midwives charged over fatal Melbourne homebirth
Two women have been charged over an allegedly botched home birth in Melbourne where the mother died of blood loss.
Two midwives have been charged with negligent homicide over the death of a woman during an allegedly botched home birth in Melbourne in 2012.
A Melbourne woman, 59, and a 42-year-old woman from NSW’s Northern Rivers have been charged with negligent manslaughter over the death of Caroline Lovell on January 24, 2012.
The two women are Gaye Demanuele, of Preston, and Melody Bourne, of Mullumbimby, who were the midwives at the home birth.
NSW police said in a statement officers arrested Ms Bourne at her home on Orchard Place about 8.40am on Friday.
She was taken to Byron Bay police station where officers arrested her on behalf of Victoria Police.
She was refused bail to appear before Ballina Local Court, where a magistrate granted her conditional release.
Prosecutors did not make an application to extradite Ms Bourne to Victoria and she will instead appear before Melbourne Magistrates Court via video link next Friday.
An inquest found Ms Lovell “bled out” in a home birthing pool after the birth of a healthy baby girl, Coroner Peter White wrote in his 2016 report.
Mr White found the 36-year-old died after suffering a post-partum haemorrhage in the pool.
Ms Lovell collapsed and lost consciousness in the pool after complaining of feeling faint, Mr White found.
An ambulance was called at 10.29am, more than an hour and a half after the birth was documented at 8.52am.
Having lost a significant amount of blood she was eventually rushed to Heidelberg’s Austin Hospital where she passed away from a global ischaemic brain injury, caused by cardiac arrest.
Her husband Nick Lovell was present at the birth conducted in the family’s Watsonia lounge room.
Both women will face Melbourne Magistrates Court next week.