Veronica Nelson treated inhumanely before jail death, jail officer concedes

CCTV reveals Brown, nurse Atheana George and two different jail officers present Nelson with paracetamol although 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 9 additional requires help over the jail intercom, together with a closing 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 a while.

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 finished extra to assist Nelson during her last hours.

Brown accepted she had a duty of care to Nelson and may have gone to verify on the 37-year-old after the inmate turned unresponsive during her closing intercom name. She also accepted Nelson was disadvantaged of “sufficient” medical care during her stay and never treated humanely.

The jail officer was additionally vital of the medical care supplied to inmates and the condition through which some arrived on the Yarra unit. She said night time nurses typically refused to stroll the 200 metres from the medical unit to the Yarra unit to see patients throughout the night time.

Prison officers usually are not permitted to call triple zero and extra senior staff would should be contacted to do that in any emergency, Brown mentioned.

An autopsy later discovered Nelson had the undiagnosed medical condition 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 review that praised her actions.

Nathwani mentioned within the assessment, Dame Phyllis Frost general 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 reveals Tracey Brown, far proper, attending Nelson’s prison cell alongside nurse Atheana George about 1.30am the day of Nelson’s demise.

On the stand, Brown disagreed. Jones is because of give evidence next week.

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