National

Jury discharged in home birth manslaughter trial

By Laine Clark

Aug 11, 2026

Robyn james — A jury hearing the home birth manslaughter trial of Robyn Mary James has been discharged. -AAP Image

A jury has been discharged in a trial of a doctor accused of manslaughter after a woman gave birth at home and died of heavy blood loss.

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Robyn Mary James, 67, had pleaded not guilty to the charge after Vicki Butler died the day she gave birth at her Ipswich home west of Brisbane.

Ms Butler, 41, died as a result of a postpartum haemorrhage which she suffered between James' arrival at 5am and when the doctor called an ambulance at 6.42am on December 27, 2017, the prosecution said.

Photos retrieved from Ms Butler's phone showed she had given birth between 3.22am and 4.07am.

She was rushed to Ipswich General Hospital, where doctors spent all day trying to revive her, transfusing 23 units of blood before she was pronounced dead at 6.15pm.

The child survived.

It was alleged at the Brisbane Supreme Court trial James was criminally negligent in her delay in seeking emergency assistance for Ms Butler.

It was further alleged she breached her duty of care to Ms Butler in that she should have recognised postpartum haemorrhage symptoms and known the potentially fatal consequences.

Justice Elizabeth Watson discharged the jury on Monday.

The matter is set to be mentioned on Thursday.