Veronica Nelson handled inhumanely earlier than jail loss of life, prison officer concedes

CCTV reveals Brown, nurse Atheana George and two different jail officers provide Nelson with paracetamol though a cell entice door about 1.30am. It was the last time employees saw her alive.

Throughout Brown’s nightshift, the coroner heard Nelson went on to make 9 further calls for assist 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 some time.

Taking to the witness stand for the primary time on Friday after a failed Supreme Court docket combat to suppress her id, Brown revealed she now believed she should’ve performed extra to assist Nelson during her remaining hours.

Brown accepted she had an obligation of care to Nelson and will have gone to check on the 37-year-old after the inmate became unresponsive throughout her ultimate intercom call. She additionally accepted Nelson was deprived of “satisfactory” medical care throughout her stay and not treated humanely.

The jail officer was additionally crucial of the medical care offered to inmates and the condition by which some arrived on the Yarra unit. She mentioned night nurses usually refused to stroll the 200 metres from the medical unit to the Yarra unit to see sufferers throughout the evening.

Jail officers are not permitted to call triple zero and extra senior workers would must be contacted to do this in any emergency, Brown said.

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

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

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

Jail CCTV exhibits Tracey Brown, far proper, attending Nelson’s jail cell alongside nurse Atheana George about 1.30am the day of Nelson’s dying.

On the stand, Brown disagreed. Jones is because of give proof next week.

Pictures and audio contained in this story were launched to the media with permission from the family. For 24/7 crisis help run by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander folks, contact 13YARN (13 92 76).