Veronica Nelson handled inhumanely before jail death, jail officer concedes

CCTV shows Brown, nurse Atheana George and two different jail officers provide Nelson with paracetamol although a cell trap 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 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 primary time on Friday after a failed Supreme Court battle to suppress her identification, Brown revealed she now believed she should’ve completed extra to help Nelson throughout her remaining 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 turned unresponsive throughout her last intercom call. She also accepted Nelson was deprived of “adequate” medical care during her stay and not treated humanely.

The jail officer was additionally crucial of the medical care supplied to inmates and the condition during which some arrived at the Yarra unit. She said night time nurses typically refused to walk the 200 metres from the medical unit to the Yarra unit to see patients in the course of the night time.

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

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

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

Nathwani said in the review, Dame Phyllis Frost normal supervisor Tracey Jones said she was “proud” of the way in which Nelson was treated in her ultimate hours and that Brown “sensitively managed the intercom calls”.

Jail CCTV reveals Tracey Brown, far right, attending Nelson’s prison 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.

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