Veronica Nelson treated inhumanely earlier than jail loss of life, jail officer concedes

CCTV reveals Brown, nurse Atheana George and two other jail officers provide Nelson with paracetamol though a cell trap door about 1.30am. It was the last time employees saw her alive.

During Brown’s nightshift, the coroner heard Nelson went on to make nine additional requires help over the prison intercom, including a final 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 some time.

Taking to the witness stand for the primary time on Friday after a failed Supreme Court battle to suppress her identity, Brown revealed she now believed she ought to’ve executed extra to help Nelson throughout her final hours.

Brown accepted she had a duty of care to Nelson and may have gone to check on the 37-year-old after the inmate grew to become unresponsive throughout her last intercom name. She also accepted Nelson was deprived of “satisfactory” medical care during her keep and never handled humanely.

The prison officer was also essential of the medical care offered to inmates and the situation in which some arrived on the Yarra unit. She said night nurses usually refused to stroll the 200 metres from the medical unit to the Yarra unit to see patients throughout the night time.

Jail officers are not permitted to name triple zero and more senior staff would should be contacted to try this in any emergency, Brown stated.

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

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

Nathwani stated within the evaluate, Dame Phyllis Frost common supervisor Tracey Jones mentioned she was “proud” of the way Nelson was handled in her final 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 loss of life.

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

Images and audio contained in this story had been launched to the media with permission from the family. For 24/7 disaster help run by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander folks, contact 13YARN (13 92 76).