Veronica Nelson handled inhumanely before jail death, prison officer concedes

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

During Brown’s nightshift, the coroner heard Nelson went on to make 9 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 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 Court fight to suppress her identity, Brown revealed she now believed she should’ve achieved extra to help Nelson during her final hours.

Brown accepted she had a duty of care to Nelson and will have gone to test on the 37-year-old after the inmate grew to become unresponsive during her ultimate intercom call. She additionally accepted Nelson was deprived of “ample” medical care during her stay and never treated humanely.

The prison officer was additionally vital of the medical care provided to inmates and the condition during which some arrived on the Yarra unit. She mentioned night time nurses often refused to walk the 200 metres from the medical unit to the Yarra unit to see patients in the course of the evening.

Jail officers are usually not permitted to call triple zero and more senior employees would have to be contacted to do that in any emergency, Brown stated.

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

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

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

Jail CCTV reveals Tracey Brown, far proper, attending Nelson’s jail 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.

Photographs and audio contained on this story were released to the media with permission from the family. For 24/7 disaster help run by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, contact 13YARN (13 92 76).