Coroner Weighs Perjury Charge After Phone Records Reveal $6,000 Birth Agreement

A Victorian coroner is considering referring a birthkeeper to prosecutors for perjury after phone records contradicted her testimony regarding a $6,000 payment for home birth support. The review concerns the death of Stacey Warnecke, who died in September 2025 following a postpartum haemorrhage at Frankston Hospital in Melbourne.

Warnecke, a 30-year-old nutritionist and wellness influencer, gave birth at home with birthkeeper Emily Lal present. The two had agreed on a fee of $6,000 for Lal's assistance throughout the pregnancy. Birthkeepers operate outside the medical system and typically lack clinical training.

The inquest into the death began in June, but closing submissions were delayed while Warnecke's phone underwent forensic analysis. Hearings resumed on Monday, October 26. Rachel Ellyard, counsel assisting the coroner, presented the results to Coroner Therese McCarthy. The analysis uncovered numerous messages in a WhatsApp group chat coordinated by Lal for women choosing freebirth, as well as a recorded call between Lal and Warnecke.

Ellyard stated that the digital evidence directly contradicted Lal's earlier evidence. In June, Lal told the court that Warnecke hired her primarily as a supportive friend and that the payment covered her time rather than medical advice. Ellyard argued that Lal's actual role involved "grooming" clients to resist medical help, pain relief, and hospital admission during labor.

In the recorded call, Warnecke expressed fear of the hospital. Lal replied that Warnecke "should be scared of the hospital" and described it as "a terrifying place." Lal advised that staying home required a mindset and condition that were "so solid." She also suggested that midwives at home births can inadvertently sabotage outcomes by rushing women to hospital when labor runs long, sometimes due to exhaustion.

Lal had previously testified that she was not clinically trained and did not give medical advice, claiming she only shared her own experiences of freebirthing her children. Ellyard rejected this characterization, stating that Lal was providing advice, referrals, and selling supplements. She described the arrangement as "much more structured, much more deliberate" than a friendship, noting that Warnecke's husband, Nathan, was "reassured or indoctrinated" into believing his role was solely to sit back and support his wife.

The court heard that Lal declined an invitation to return and give further evidence after the phone analysis. She had originally testified under a certificate of protection, which prevents her evidence from being used against her in future proceedings. Ellyard told the coroner that a finding of untruthfulness would allow a referral to the Office of Public Prosecutions for perjury.

Warnecke lost up to 1.5 litres of blood and struggled to breathe after delivering her placenta. Lal asked three times if she wanted an ambulance, and Warnecke agreed on the third attempt. She died in hospital several hours later after the facility exhausted its blood supply. Ellyard noted that Warnecke would have survived if she had been in hospital, as postpartum haemorrhage is treatable if identified immediately. The coroner will deliver her findings at a later date.