Veronica Nelson treated inhumanely before jail dying, prison officer concedes

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

Throughout Brown’s nightshift, the coroner heard Nelson went on to make nine additional calls for assist over the prison intercom, including a final 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 first time on Friday after a failed Supreme Courtroom struggle to suppress her id, Brown revealed she now believed she should’ve done more to assist Nelson throughout her last hours.

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

The prison officer was also crucial of the medical care provided to inmates and the situation through which some arrived on the Yarra unit. She stated night time nurses often refused to walk the 200 metres from the medical unit to the Yarra unit to see patients through the night.

Prison officers usually are not permitted to call triple zero and more senior staff would have to be contacted to try this in any emergency, Brown said.

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

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

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

Prison CCTV shows 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 proof next week.

Images and audio contained on this story had been launched to the media with permission from the family. For twenty-four/7 crisis support run by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, contact 13YARN (13 92 76).