Melbourne prison baby death: Firefighter found pulse after Georgina Melody declared baby dead

An inquest into the death of a newborn baby at a Melbourne prison has heard how firefighters found the tiny infant clinging to life after a Kiwi nurse declared her dead and refused to intervene.

Georgina Melody only appeared in a Victorian Coroner's Court after she was given a certificate of indemnity, having initially refused to attend voluntarily for fear of legal or disciplinary consequences.

The child, known as Baby A, was 12 days old when she died inside the "Mothers and Children Units" at Melbourne's Dame Phyllis Frost Centre in August 2018.

She was born addicted to methadone and her mother was serving time for drug-related offending.

The court previously heard that Melody had only been working the night shift for six months before the night the baby died.

This week the court heard from guards and other first responders, with one firefighter telling the inquest that his colleague frantically performed CPR to save the baby after Melody had refused to try, the Daily Mail reported.

Amir Gabalawi, a prison guard, testified he saw Melody use a stethoscope to check for a pulse before saying that she could not be helped.

"In my view, the nurse had already determined that the child was deceased prior to paramedics attending and I did not witness any first aid assistance being administered," Gabalawi said.

"As the nurse was checking the baby, it seemed to me that she was shocked by the situation herself."

The court heard that Baby A had a faint pulse. Photo / Getty Images

Gabalawi said that Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) firefighters, who arrived just minutes after receiving the call, tried to save Baby A.

"Whilst preparing for the escort and kitting up, we heard an announcement over the radio that the MFB had found a pulse," Gabalawi said.

Another guard, Janine Slater, said she was "surprised and distressed" by Melody's lack of action.

MFB firefighter Nigel Hill told the court that he was informed by prison staff upon his arrival that Baby A was already dead.

"Liaison officer directed us to the maternity unit for what was reported to be a deceased 5-month-old," he said, claiming that guards were not attempting to assist or console the child's distressed mother.

"On arrival, mother was walking around unit cuddling wrapped baby, clearly distressed,' he testified.

"There were three prison officers in attendance with mother, but no guards were assisting baby or mother whatsoever."

Hill said the newborn was still warm and his colleague immediately began CPR despite being told the child was dead.

But when specialist paramedics arrived at the scene Baby A was pronounced dead, the Daily Mail reported.

'Uncompassionate and unkind'

Melody previously told the inquest that she had no formal training in neonatal care and had no responsibility to care for inmate's babies except in the case of an emergency.

On the night that Baby A died, Melody was 30 minutes from finishing her shift when she was fetched by a guard after she could not be reached on a radio in the prison's medical unit.

The inquest heard that guards had called a "Code Black" after hearing frantic calls from another inmate that Baby A was unresponsive, the Daily Mail reported.

Melody told the court she was unaware she was going to treat a newborn until she saw Baby A's limp body being cradled by her mother.

"It wasn't immediately drawn to my attention who was the casualty," Melody, who reportedly showed no emotion in the witness box, told the court.

"When I walked in I didn't get a sense of emergency. I didn't hear any hysteria or panic."

The Dame Phyllis Frost Centre in Melbourne.

The court heard that Melody refused to provide CPR to Baby A, despite firefighters who arrived later battling to try and save the infant.

"The nurse just said "Oh I'm sorry". That was it ... she did not touch the baby," an inmate, named as "Alice", alleged,

Melody denied that she failed to touch the baby and also denied apologising to the mother.

Barrister Julie Munster, acting for Baby A's mother, asked whether Melody felt distressed by the incident.

"Not necessarily. No," Melody said.

"No. It was surprising."

Munster alleged that Baby A's mother told Melody that her child was not breathing.

"She was begging you to help her baby," Munster said.

"No," Melody replied.

Munster also accused Melody of being "uncompassionate and unkind" for failing to explain to Baby A's mother that she had assessed that her child was beyond help.

"No. I don't accept that," she said. "I am a kind person."

'Everyone was panicking'

The court also earlier heard from other inmates who revealed the panic that spread in the unit that night.

Alice testified that she was the first to hear Baby A's mother scream for help.

"Baby's not breathing," the desperate mum reportedly shouted.

Alice testified that she tried to get help by calling guards, who responded that they would have to wait before eventually cutting the line.

The inquest heard that Baby A was spotted lying alone on her mother's bed hours before she died, against prison rules that specify babies must sleep in a cot.

Baby's A mother denied the claim, saying her daughter was sleeping in a cot.

Alice claimed the rule was often ignored after 7pm, when the mothers were locked inside the unit.

Women live together in groups inside the facility. Photo / Nine

Another inmate, "Beth", testified that the women pleaded with the guards to open the door to the unit, asking them to "open the f***ing door".

"Everyone was panicking," she said.

"They said they needed permission to open up," Alice testified.

As other inmates made their desperate pleas, one took action and attempted CPR as guards looked on.

"My maternal instincts kicked in," "Donna" said.

"All of the other mums were just standing around."

Donna revealed that she feared Baby A was already dead when she began CPR.

"There was no life. She felt like a rubber doll ... I could see the baby was gone. It was too late."

The inquest continues.