Veronica Nelson handled inhumanely before jail dying, prison officer concedes

CCTV shows Brown, nurse Atheana George and two other jail officers provide Nelson with paracetamol although a cell entice door about 1.30am. It was the last time workers noticed her alive.

Throughout Brown’s nightshift, the coroner heard Nelson went on to make 9 additional calls for assist over the jail intercom, including a ultimate 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 first time on Friday after a failed Supreme Court docket battle to suppress her identity, Brown revealed she now believed she should’ve accomplished more to assist Nelson during her remaining 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 became unresponsive throughout her remaining intercom name. She additionally accepted Nelson was deprived of “enough” medical care throughout her stay and never handled humanely.

The prison officer was also critical of the medical care supplied to inmates and the situation in which some arrived on the Yarra unit. She stated evening nurses typically refused to stroll the 200 metres from the medical unit to the Yarra unit to see patients throughout the evening.

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

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

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

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

Jail CCTV shows Tracey Brown, far right, 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 due to give evidence subsequent week.

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