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

CCTV exhibits Brown, nurse Atheana George and two other jail officers present Nelson with paracetamol though a cell lure door about 1.30am. It was the last time workers saw her alive.

During Brown’s nightshift, the coroner heard Nelson went on to make 9 additional requires 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 found later that morning.

Attending paramedics believed she had been useless for some time.

Taking to the witness stand for the primary time on Friday after a failed Supreme Court fight to suppress her id, Brown revealed she now believed she ought to’ve achieved extra to assist Nelson throughout 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 grew to become unresponsive during her last intercom name. She also accepted Nelson was disadvantaged of “adequate” medical care during her stay and never handled humanely.

The prison officer was also critical of the medical care offered to inmates and the situation by which some arrived at the Yarra unit. She stated night time nurses typically refused to stroll the 200 metres from the medical unit to the Yarra unit to see sufferers in the course of the evening.

Prison officers should not permitted to name triple zero and extra senior employees would need to be contacted to do this in any emergency, Brown stated.

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

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

Nathwani stated in the evaluation, Dame Phyllis Frost general manager Tracey Jones stated she was “proud” of the way Nelson was treated in her ultimate hours and that Brown “sensitively managed the intercom calls”.

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

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

Images and audio contained on this story have been released to the media with permission from the household. For 24/7 crisis help run by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander folks, contact 13YARN (13 92 76).