Veronica Nelson handled inhumanely before jail dying, prison officer concedes

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

During Brown’s nightshift, the coroner heard Nelson went on to make nine further calls for assist over the jail intercom, together with 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 lifeless for some time.

Taking to the witness stand for the primary time on Friday after a failed Supreme Courtroom fight to suppress her identity, Brown revealed she now believed she should’ve performed more to assist Nelson during her remaining hours.

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

The jail officer was also important of the medical care supplied to inmates and the situation wherein some arrived on the Yarra unit. She mentioned evening nurses usually refused to walk the 200 metres from the medical unit to the Yarra unit to see patients through the night time.

Jail officers are not permitted to name triple zero and extra senior staff would must be contacted to do that in any emergency, Brown stated.

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

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

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

Prison CCTV shows Tracey Brown, far proper, attending Nelson’s prison cell alongside nurse Atheana George about 1.30am the day of Nelson’s death.

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

Pictures and audio contained on this story have been released to the media with permission from the family. For twenty-four/7 crisis assist run by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander folks, contact 13YARN (13 92 76).