Veronica Nelson handled inhumanely before jail death, jail officer concedes

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

Throughout Brown’s nightshift, the coroner heard Nelson went on to make nine additional requires 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 discovered later that morning.

Attending paramedics believed she had been dead for a while.

Taking to the witness stand for the first time on Friday after a failed Supreme Courtroom fight to suppress her identification, Brown revealed she now believed she should’ve executed more to assist Nelson during her final hours.

Brown accepted she had a duty of care to Nelson and will have gone to test on the 37-year-old after the inmate grew to become unresponsive throughout her remaining intercom name. She also accepted Nelson was disadvantaged of “adequate” medical care during her stay and never handled humanely.

The jail officer was also vital of the medical care provided to inmates and the situation by which some arrived on the Yarra unit. She said evening nurses often refused to stroll the 200 metres from the medical unit to the Yarra unit to see patients in the course of the evening.

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

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

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

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

Jail CCTV shows Tracey Brown, far proper, attending Nelson’s jail cell alongside nurse Atheana George about 1.30am the day of Nelson’s dying.

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

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