A Victorian coroner has been urged to refer a birthkeeper to prosecutors, with counsel assisting alleging that phone evidence shows she 'groomed' pregnant women into fearing hospitals and gave false evidence at the inquest into a woman's death.
Stacey Warnecke, a 30-year-old nutritionist and wellness influencer, died in September 2025 at Frankston hospital in Melbourne after suffering a postpartum haemorrhage at a home birth. Birthkeeper Emily Lal, who was paid $6,000 to support her through the pregnancy, was by her side.
The inquest before coroner Therese McCarthy began in June, but closing submissions were delayed while Warnecke's phone was analysed forensically. When hearings resumed on Monday, Rachel Ellyard, counsel assisting the coroner, said the completed analysis revealed numerous messages, including a WhatsApp group chat coordinated by Lal for women choosing freebirth, and a phone call between Warnecke and Lal that was played to the court.
Ellyard said the phone evidence directly contradicted Lal's evidence, given in June, that she was hired primarily as a supportive friend and that the money she received was for her time, not medical advice. 'Ms Lal saw her role as to groom her clients into being strong enough to resist the temptation to seek medical help during labor, to seek pain relief during labor, to go to hospital during labor,' Ellyard said.
During the call, Warnecke told Lal she was afraid of hospital. 'You should be scared of the hospital,' Lal responded. Ellyard said Warnecke had placed considerable trust in Lal and expected her to keep her safe: 'Ms Lal was an expert. She was providing advice. She was providing referrals. She was selling supplements. She was offering commentary. This is all quite inconsistent with the idea of just being a friend who pulls your hair back and wipes your forehead. It's something much more structured, much more deliberate.' She also said Warnecke's husband, Nathan, had been 'reassured or indoctrinated' into believing his role was simply to sit back and support.
Lal gave her earlier evidence under a certificate of protection so it could not be used against her in future proceedings, and declined an invitation to return to court after the phone analysis. Ellyard told the coroner it would be open to her to find that Lal had committed perjury 'in relation to the falsity of the evidence' and to refer her to the Office of Public Prosecutions.
The court previously heard that Lal asked Warnecke three times whether she wanted an ambulance called after she gave birth to the placenta, lost up to 1.5 litres of blood and began struggling to breathe. Warnecke said yes the third time, but by the time paramedics arrived she was seriously unwell and died in hospital several hours later, with the hospital exhausting its blood supply trying to save her. 'Stacey would have survived if she was in hospital,' Ellyard said, adding that she would also have survived giving birth at home with a registered midwife, based on evidence from medical professionals earlier in the inquest. The coroner will deliver her findings at a later date.