Veronica Nelson treated inhumanely before jail loss of life, prison officer concedes

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

Throughout Brown’s nightshift, the coroner heard Nelson went on to make nine additional calls for help over the jail intercom, together with a last 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 primary time on Friday after a failed Supreme Courtroom fight to suppress her identification, Brown revealed she now believed she ought to’ve done more to assist Nelson during her final 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 final intercom call. She additionally accepted Nelson was disadvantaged of “satisfactory” medical care during her keep and not handled humanely.

The prison officer was also vital of the medical care offered to inmates and the situation during which some arrived on the Yarra unit. She mentioned evening nurses typically refused to walk the 200 metres from the medical unit to the Yarra unit to see patients during the night.

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

An autopsy later discovered Nelson had the undiagnosed medical condition Wilkie’s syndrome, a rare however potentially life-threatening gastrointestinal condition.

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

Nathwani said in the evaluation, Dame Phyllis Frost general supervisor Tracey Jones mentioned she was “proud” of the best way Nelson was handled in her closing hours and that Brown “sensitively managed the intercom calls”.

Jail CCTV shows 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 subsequent week.

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