Penelope Burrows, Christina Meyer in Coffs Harbour Local Court after breech home birth baby death at Karangi

Two allegedly unqualified ‘birthkeepers’ charged with manslaughter after the death of a baby boy on the Mid-North Coast after a breech delivery went horrifically wrong have fronted court.

Burrows and Meyer fronted Coffs Harbour Local Court (above) on Tuesday after being charged with manslaughter following the baby boy’s death in 2022. Picture: File.

Two allegedly unqualified ‘birthkeepers’ charged with manslaughter after the death of a baby boy on the Mid-North Coast after a breech delivery went horrifically wrong have fronted court.

One woman – self-described “birthkeeper” Penelope Burrows, also known as Penny – allegedly has no medical qualifications and has called herself an “accredited childbirth educator”.

Burrows was charged with manslaughter alongside Christina Meyer after the death of a baby boy on September 11, 2022 at Karangi, 10 minutes west of Coffs Harbour.

Police will allege the pair attempted a breech home birth “without adequate training, knowledge, or equipment”.

The co-accused appeared in Coffs Harbour Local Court on Tuesday, sitting quietly and in separate areas of the public gallery as their matters were heard.

Penny Burrows. Picture: Contributed

Police will allege Meyer was an unregistered midwife at the time of the birth, while Burrows allegedly had no medical qualifications whatsoever.

Coffs/Clarence Police District detectives began an investigation after the baby tragically died in hospital, despite the best efforts of medical professionals.

Christina Meyer, charged with manslaughter, leaves Coffs Harbour court on May 13 2025.

“Emergency services had been called to a home at Karangi on September 11 2022, after a baby was unresponsive following a home birth,” NSW Police said in a statement at the time.

“NSW Ambulance paramedics attended and treated a newborn boy at the scene before he was airlifted to Coffs Base Hospital, where he later died.”

After a lengthy investigation, the pair were charged in February with manslaughter.

“Police will allege in court the younger woman was an unregistered midwife at the time of the birth, while the older woman held no medical qualifications and had been practising unregistered homebirth midwifery,” the NSW Police statement continued.

Documents obtained by The Daily Telegraph revealed the alleged circumstances of the baby boy’s death.

“(Police will allege Meyer and Burrows) did cause the death of the baby in circumstances amounting to manslaughter (by) attempting a breech birth without adequate training, knowledge, or equipment,” court documents tendered to Coffs Harbour Local Court state.

Meyer, 41, and Burrows, 51, remain on bail and their case will return to court on June 20.

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Originally published as Penelope Burrows, Christina Meyer in Coffs Harbour Local Court after breech home birth baby death at Karangi