Veronica Nelson treated inhumanely before jail death, jail officer concedes

CCTV reveals Brown, nurse Atheana George and two other jail officers present Nelson with paracetamol though a cell lure door about 1.30am. It was the last time staff noticed 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 final 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 dead for a while.

Taking to the witness stand for the primary time on Friday after a failed Supreme Court combat to suppress her identity, Brown revealed she now believed she should’ve achieved more to help Nelson throughout her ultimate 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 became unresponsive during her last intercom name. She also accepted Nelson was disadvantaged of “adequate” medical care during her stay and not treated humanely.

The jail officer was additionally important of the medical care supplied to inmates and the condition through which some arrived on the Yarra unit. She mentioned evening nurses often refused to stroll the 200 metres from the medical unit to the Yarra unit to see sufferers through the evening.

Prison officers are usually not permitted to name triple zero and more senior staff would have to be contacted to try this in any emergency, Brown stated.

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

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 said in the overview, Dame Phyllis Frost basic manager Tracey Jones stated she was “proud” of the way in which Nelson was handled in her last hours and that Brown “sensitively managed the intercom calls”.

Prison CCTV reveals 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 evidence subsequent week.

Photos and audio contained in this story have been released to the media with permission from the household. For 24/7 crisis assist run by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals, contact 13YARN (13 92 76).