Veronica Nelson treated inhumanely before jail death, jail officer concedes

CCTV shows Brown, nurse Atheana George and two different prison officers present Nelson with paracetamol although a cell entice door about 1.30am. It was the final time workers noticed her alive.

Throughout Brown’s nightshift, the coroner heard Nelson went on to make nine additional calls for 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 found 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 Court struggle to suppress her identity, Brown revealed she now believed she ought to’ve done more to help Nelson throughout her closing hours.

Brown accepted she had a duty of care to Nelson and may have gone to test on the 37-year-old after the inmate became unresponsive throughout her closing intercom name. She also accepted Nelson was deprived of “ample” medical care during her stay and never handled humanely.

The prison officer was additionally crucial of the medical care supplied to inmates and the situation through which some arrived on the Yarra unit. She said evening nurses often refused to walk the 200 metres from the medical unit to the Yarra unit to see sufferers through the night.

Jail officers aren't permitted to call triple zero and extra senior staff would need to be contacted to do that in any emergency, Brown stated.

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

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

Nathwani mentioned within the overview, Dame Phyllis Frost general manager Tracey Jones stated she was “proud” of the way in which Nelson was handled in her closing hours and that Brown “sensitively managed the intercom calls”.

Prison CCTV exhibits 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 evidence next week.

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