Veronica Nelson treated inhumanely before jail loss of life, prison officer concedes

CCTV shows Brown, nurse Atheana George and two other prison officers present Nelson with paracetamol although a cell lure door about 1.30am. It was the final time staff noticed her alive.

Throughout Brown’s nightshift, the coroner heard Nelson went on to make 9 further calls for assist over the jail intercom, including a last two conversations Lacy described as “haunting” and “chilling”. Nothing was heard from Nelson after 4am. Her body was discovered 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 battle to suppress her id, Brown revealed she now believed she ought to’ve carried out more to assist Nelson during her ultimate hours.

Brown accepted she had a duty of care to Nelson and may have gone to test on the 37-year-old after the inmate turned unresponsive throughout her remaining intercom name. She also accepted Nelson was disadvantaged of “enough” medical care throughout her keep and not handled humanely.

The prison officer was additionally vital of the medical care provided to inmates and the condition during which some arrived on the Yarra unit. She mentioned evening nurses often refused to walk the 200 metres from the medical unit to the Yarra unit to see patients through the evening.

Jail officers will not be permitted to call triple zero and more senior workers would must be contacted to do that in any emergency, Brown said.

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

Rishi Nathwani, representing Nelson’s mother, was important of Brown’s motion and pressed the jail officer on an internal evaluation that praised her actions.

Nathwani said in the evaluate, Dame Phyllis Frost common manager 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”.

Jail CCTV reveals Tracey Brown, far proper, attending Nelson’s jail cell alongside nurse Atheana George about 1.30am the day of Nelson’s loss of life.

On the stand, Brown disagreed. Jones is due to give proof subsequent week.

Pictures and audio contained in this story were 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).