Veronica Nelson treated 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 employees noticed her alive.

During Brown’s nightshift, the coroner heard Nelson went on to make nine further calls for assist over the prison intercom, together with 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 useless for a while.

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

Brown accepted she had an obligation of care to Nelson and should have gone to check on the 37-year-old after the inmate grew to become unresponsive during her remaining intercom call. She also accepted Nelson was disadvantaged of “enough” medical care throughout her stay and not treated humanely.

The prison officer was additionally vital of the medical care supplied to inmates and the condition through which some arrived at the Yarra unit. She mentioned evening nurses typically refused to stroll the 200 metres from the medical unit to the Yarra unit to see patients through the night.

Prison officers should not permitted to call triple zero and extra senior workers would need to be contacted to do this in any emergency, Brown said.

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

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

Nathwani mentioned within the evaluate, Dame Phyllis Frost basic supervisor Tracey Jones mentioned she was “proud” of the way 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 loss of life.

On the stand, Brown disagreed. Jones is due to give evidence next week.

Images and audio contained on this story have been launched to the media with permission from the household. For 24/7 crisis help run by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander folks, contact 13YARN (13 92 76).