Veronica Nelson handled inhumanely earlier than jail death, jail officer concedes

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

Throughout Brown’s nightshift, the coroner heard Nelson went on to make nine additional requires help over the prison intercom, including 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 dead for a while.

Taking to the witness stand for the primary time on Friday after a failed Supreme Court docket battle to suppress her identity, Brown revealed she now believed she ought to’ve finished more to assist Nelson during her ultimate hours.

Brown accepted she had an obligation of care to Nelson and will have gone to test on the 37-year-old after the inmate grew to become unresponsive during her final intercom call. She also accepted Nelson was disadvantaged of “satisfactory” medical care during her stay and never handled humanely.

The jail officer was also essential of the medical care offered to inmates and the situation through which some arrived on the Yarra unit. She mentioned night time nurses typically refused to stroll the 200 metres from the medical unit to the Yarra unit to see sufferers during the night time.

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

An autopsy later found Nelson had the undiagnosed medical situation 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 inside assessment that praised her actions.

Nathwani stated within the evaluate, Dame Phyllis Frost common supervisor Tracey Jones mentioned she was “proud” of the way in which Nelson was handled in her ultimate hours and that Brown “sensitively managed the intercom calls”.

Prison CCTV exhibits Tracey Brown, far right, 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.

Pictures and audio contained in this story have been released to the media with permission from the family. For 24/7 disaster assist run by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals, contact 13YARN (13 92 76).