Midwife accused of manslaughter won’t face court in person over Caroline Lovell death
A former midwife charged over the home birth death of a Melbourne mum will not have to travel to Victoria for this reason.
A former midwife facing charges over the home birth death of Melbourne mum Caroline Lovell won’t have to face a court hearing in person because of the coronavirus outbreak in NSW.
Preston woman Gaye Demanuele, 60, and NSW woman Melody Bourne, 44, had a brief hearing in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
The former midwives are each charged with negligent manslaughter and were at Ms Lovell’s home birth at Watsonia in 2012.
Ms Bourne’s lawyer Madeleine Smith asked her client appear via videolink for the committal hearing in September because of the latest coronavirus outbreak in NSW.
“She is quite anxious at the situation,” Ms Smith said.
Travel arrangements would need to be organised now if she were to come to Victoria and that appeared “increasingly unrealistic”, the lawyer told the court.
Prosecutor Emma Fargher said she would prefer the accused midwife appear online rather than delay the ten-day committal proceeding.
“I’m not sure if we can take opposition given the state of affairs in NSW … I’m not sure how she would get here (Victoria),” Ms Fargher said.
At the committal hearing, a magistrate will determine if there is enough evidence for the case to go to trial.
Police allege the women caused Ms Lovell’s death by “negligently failing to provide adequate midwifery care”.
The 36-year-old mum died at the Austin Hospital after she “bled out” following the birth of her baby girl, a coroner wrote in his 2016 report on the death.
According to the report, Ms Lovell begged for an ambulance, but the call wasn’t made for up to 10 minutes when the mum’s condition worsened.
Multiple witnesses are expected to be called to give evidence at the hearing.