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

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

During Brown’s nightshift, the coroner heard Nelson went on to make nine further calls for help over the prison intercom, together with a last 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 lifeless for a while.

Taking to the witness stand for the first time on Friday after a failed Supreme Court fight to suppress her id, Brown revealed she now believed she should’ve carried out more to help Nelson during her final hours.

Brown accepted she had a duty of care to Nelson and should have gone to check on the 37-year-old after the inmate grew to become unresponsive during her closing intercom call. She also accepted Nelson was disadvantaged of “ample” medical care during her stay and never handled humanely.

The jail officer was also vital of the medical care supplied to inmates and the condition in which some arrived at the Yarra unit. She said evening nurses usually refused to walk the 200 metres from the medical unit to the Yarra unit to see sufferers during the evening.

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

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 mom, was important of Brown’s motion and pressed the prison officer on an internal overview that praised her actions.

Nathwani stated in the evaluate, Dame Phyllis Frost normal manager Tracey Jones mentioned she was “proud” of the way Nelson was handled in her remaining hours and that Brown “sensitively managed the intercom calls”.

Prison CCTV shows Tracey Brown, far right, attending Nelson’s jail cell alongside nurse Atheana George about 1.30am the day of Nelson’s demise.

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

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