Veronica Nelson treated inhumanely earlier than 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 entice door about 1.30am. It was the final time staff saw her alive.

Throughout Brown’s nightshift, the coroner heard Nelson went on to make nine further 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 useless for some time.

Taking to the witness stand for the first time on Friday after a failed Supreme Courtroom combat to suppress her identification, Brown revealed she now believed she ought to’ve accomplished more to help Nelson during her closing hours.

Brown accepted she had a duty of care to Nelson and should have gone to verify on the 37-year-old after the inmate became unresponsive throughout her closing intercom call. She additionally accepted Nelson was deprived of “adequate” medical care throughout her stay and never treated humanely.

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

Prison officers aren't permitted to call triple zero and more senior workers would must be contacted to try this in any emergency, Brown mentioned.

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

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

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

Prison CCTV shows Tracey Brown, far right, 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 proof next week.

Photographs and audio contained in this story have been released to the media with permission from the household. For twenty-four/7 crisis help run by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, contact 13YARN (13 92 76).