Veronica Nelson handled inhumanely earlier than jail demise, prison officer concedes

CCTV exhibits Brown, nurse Atheana George and two other jail officers present Nelson with paracetamol though a cell entice door about 1.30am. It was the final time staff saw her alive.

During Brown’s nightshift, the coroner heard Nelson went on to make nine additional calls for help over the jail intercom, including a remaining two conversations Lacy described as “haunting” and “chilling”. Nothing was heard from Nelson after 4am. Her body was found 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 struggle to suppress her id, Brown revealed she now believed she should’ve achieved extra to help Nelson throughout her last hours.

Brown accepted she had an obligation of care to Nelson and may have gone to test on the 37-year-old after the inmate turned unresponsive throughout her final intercom name. She additionally accepted Nelson was deprived of “enough” medical care throughout her keep and not treated humanely.

The prison officer was additionally critical of the medical care supplied to inmates and the situation through which some arrived at the Yarra unit. She mentioned night nurses usually refused to stroll the 200 metres from the medical unit to the Yarra unit to see sufferers through the night.

Prison officers are usually not permitted to call triple zero and extra senior employees would need to be contacted to do that in any emergency, Brown said.

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

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

Nathwani mentioned in the assessment, Dame Phyllis Frost common supervisor Tracey Jones mentioned she was “proud” of the best way Nelson was treated in her remaining hours and that Brown “sensitively managed the intercom calls”.

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

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

Photos and audio contained on this story had been released to the media with permission from the family. For twenty-four/7 disaster support run by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, contact 13YARN (13 92 76).