Veronica Nelson handled inhumanely before jail loss of life, jail officer concedes

CCTV exhibits Brown, nurse Atheana George and two different jail officers provide Nelson with paracetamol though a cell trap door about 1.30am. It was the final time employees noticed her alive.

During Brown’s nightshift, the coroner heard Nelson went on to make nine 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 found later that morning.

Attending paramedics believed she had been lifeless for some time.

Taking to the witness stand for the first time on Friday after a failed Supreme Court docket struggle to suppress her identity, Brown revealed she now believed she should’ve performed extra to help Nelson throughout her final hours.

Brown accepted she had an obligation 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 “satisfactory” medical care throughout her stay and never treated humanely.

The jail officer was also critical of the medical care offered to inmates and the condition through which some arrived at the Yarra unit. She stated evening nurses often refused to walk the 200 metres from the medical unit to the Yarra unit to see sufferers during the night time.

Prison officers are not permitted to name triple zero and extra senior staff would should be contacted to try this in any emergency, Brown mentioned.

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

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

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

Prison CCTV exhibits Tracey Brown, far proper, attending Nelson’s jail 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.

Images and audio contained on this story were launched to the media with permission from the family. For twenty-four/7 crisis help run by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals, contact 13YARN (13 92 76).