Veronica Nelson handled inhumanely before jail loss of life, jail officer concedes

CCTV reveals Brown, nurse Atheana George and two different jail officers present Nelson with paracetamol though a cell lure door about 1.30am. It was the last time staff noticed her alive.

Throughout Brown’s nightshift, the coroner heard Nelson went on to make 9 additional requires help over the prison intercom, together with a remaining two conversations Lacy described as “haunting” and “chilling”. Nothing was heard from Nelson after 4am. Her body was discovered later that morning.

Attending paramedics believed she had been dead for some time.

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

Brown accepted she had a duty of care to Nelson and will have gone to verify on the 37-year-old after the inmate turned unresponsive throughout her final intercom call. She also accepted Nelson was deprived of “enough” medical care during her keep and not treated humanely.

The prison officer was also vital of the medical care supplied to inmates and the condition by which some arrived on the Yarra unit. She stated night time nurses often refused to walk the 200 metres from the medical unit to the Yarra unit to see sufferers in the course of the night.

Jail officers are usually not permitted to call triple zero and more senior employees would should be contacted to do that in any emergency, Brown mentioned.

An post-mortem later found Nelson had the undiagnosed medical condition Wilkie’s syndrome, a uncommon but potentially life-threatening gastrointestinal situation.

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

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

Jail CCTV exhibits Tracey Brown, far right, attending Nelson’s prison cell alongside nurse Atheana George about 1.30am the day of Nelson’s loss of life.

On the stand, Brown disagreed. Jones is due to give proof subsequent week.

Pictures and audio contained in this story were launched to the media with permission from the family. For 24/7 crisis assist run by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander folks, contact 13YARN (13 92 76).