Death in custody: Coronial inquest into the death of 37 year old Aboriginal woman, Veronica Nelson, begins

The inquest into the death in custody of proud Gunditjmara, Dja Dja Wurrung, Wiradjuri and Yorta Yorta woman Veronica Nelson began today with its first mention in the Coroners Court of Victoria. Veronica was 37 years old when she died.

On 30 December 2019, Veronica was arrested and taken into custody in relation to shoplifting and outstanding warrants. After appearing without a lawyer, she was then refused bail and locked up in pre-trial detention at the Dame Phyllis Frost centre - a maximum security prison. 

While in custody, Veronica was in pain, she was distressed and she cried out for help on a number of occasions. Three days after being locked up, Veronica was found dead, alone in a prison cell. Veronica was Donna Nelson’s eldest daughter and would have turned 38 years old in March 2020. 

The Human Rights Law Centre is representing Veronica’s mother, Donna Nelson.

Donna Nelson, Veronica Nelson’s mother, said:

“I miss my daughter and cry for her every single day. She was a warrior and had a fighting spirit, and should have never been arrested and locked up in a maximum security prison. Veronica was a deeply caring and loving person - she deserved to be treated with dignity and taken to hospital. Instead, she died alone in a prison cell. Why doesn’t this Government care about Aboriginal women’s lives?”

The Andrews’ Government made punitive changes to Victoria’s bail laws between 2017 and 2019. The changes have created a discriminatory, gruelling and complicated system for granting bail in Victoria, and have led to a massive increase in the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women being sent to pre-trial detention for very low level wrongdoing. 

The overall rate at which the Victorian Government imprisons Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people has sky-rocketed since the Andrews’ Government came to power, doubling in the last ten years. 

Monique Hurley, Senior Lawyer at the Human Rights Law Centre, said: 

“The Andrews Government introduced these bail changes under the guise of targeting violent men. But the changes have discriminated against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women the most. For years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and community advocates have demanded these broken laws be fixed, but the Andrews Government has sat on their hands and failed to act. Now, another young Aboriginal woman has needlessly died in custody.”  

Hundreds of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have died in custody in the last three decades, due to governments failing to address and change racist laws and policies that lead to over-policing and over-imprisonment. 

“If the Andrews Government valued Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ lives, they would act today and repeal punitive bail laws that are trapping Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in prison,” said Hurley.

The coronial inquest will examine the circumstances and causes of Veronica Nelson’s death. The next hearing date will likely be in three months’ time. 

Donna Nelson’s barrister read out this statement in court today.

There will be no interviews at this point in the proceeding.

Contact:

Michelle Bennett, Communications Director: 0419 100 519