Veronica Nelson treated inhumanely earlier than jail demise, jail officer concedes

CCTV shows Brown, nurse Atheana George and two different prison officers present Nelson with paracetamol though a cell entice door about 1.30am. It was the last time employees saw her alive.

Throughout Brown’s nightshift, the coroner heard Nelson went on to make nine further calls for assist over the prison intercom, including a ultimate two conversations Lacy described as “haunting” and “chilling”. Nothing was heard from Nelson after 4am. Her physique was found later that morning.

Attending paramedics believed she had been useless for a while.

Taking to the witness stand for the primary time on Friday after a failed Supreme Court docket combat to suppress her identity, Brown revealed she now believed she ought to’ve finished extra to assist Nelson during her last hours.

Brown accepted she had a duty of care to Nelson and will have gone to check on the 37-year-old after the inmate grew to become unresponsive during her remaining intercom name. She also accepted Nelson was deprived of “ample” medical care during her stay and not handled humanely.

The prison officer was additionally important of the medical care provided to inmates and the situation in which some arrived at the Yarra unit. She mentioned night nurses typically refused to walk the 200 metres from the medical unit to the Yarra unit to see patients in the course of the night time.

Jail officers usually are not permitted to call triple zero and extra senior staff would must be contacted to try this in any emergency, Brown mentioned.

An autopsy later found Nelson had the undiagnosed medical situation Wilkie’s syndrome, a rare however probably life-threatening gastrointestinal situation.

Rishi Nathwani, representing Nelson’s mother, was vital of Brown’s motion and pressed the prison officer on an internal review that praised her actions.

Nathwani said within the overview, Dame Phyllis Frost common supervisor Tracey Jones stated she was “proud” of the way Nelson was handled in her final hours and that Brown “sensitively managed the intercom calls”.

Prison CCTV reveals Tracey Brown, far proper, attending Nelson’s jail cell alongside nurse Atheana George about 1.30am the day of Nelson’s loss of life.

On the stand, Brown disagreed. Jones is because of give evidence subsequent week.

Pictures and audio contained on this story had been released to the media with permission from the household. For 24/7 crisis support run by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander folks, contact 13YARN (13 92 76).