Clare Nowland case escalates to manslaughter after alleged police taser incident
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Content warning: This story discusses themes some members may find distressing. Discretion is advised.
An officer's duty is to ensure the safety and security of every citizen, but a recent turn of events in the case of Clare Nowland, a 95-year-old woman allegedly tasered by a police officer, has cast a shadow of concern over this principle.
The case of the woman, who died from her injuries allegedly caused by the tasering of a police officer in her aged care home, has taken a dramatic turn.
The officer involved, Senior Constable Kristian White, has now had his charges upgraded to manslaughter.
This comes months after the incident, which allegedly led to the death of the elderly woman in a hospital.
On the night of May 17, Clare Nowland, a resident of the Yallambee Lodge aged care home in Cooma, was reportedly suffering from an episode related to her dementia.
She was found wandering around the facility, holding two kitchen knives. She allegedly wheeled her walking frame towards the rooms of three residents and reportedly even leaned over their beds.
The staff, alarmed by her behaviour, called the police for assistance.
Senior Constable White, a 33-year-old officer, and his female colleague were called out of bed to attend to the situation.
Upon their arrival, they found Mrs Nowland in an office, holding a knife and a torch.
Police allege that Mrs Nowland even threw a knife at one of the carers, which landed on the ground.
Despite their attempts to persuade her to drop the knife, Mrs Nowland allegedly raised her hand and pointed the knife at them.
According to police documents, Constable White activated the Taser’s warning device and pointed it at the chest of the frail woman, who weighed just 43kg.
He allegedly warned her, 'Clare, stop now, see this, this is a Taser. Drop it now, drop it, this is your first warning. See, you are going to get tased.'
When Mrs Nowland raised the knife, Constable White allegedly discharged the stun gun into her chest. The elderly woman fell backwards, hitting her head heavily on the wooden floor.
She sustained an inoperable bleed on her brain and reportedly passed away a week later at Cooma Hospital.
Initially, Constable White was charged with recklessly causing grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and common assault over the incident.
However, following advice from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and State Crime Command’s homicide squad, the charges were upgraded to manslaughter on Wednesday.
Constable White has been suspended from duty with full pay and is on bail in the Cooma community.
He is prohibited from interacting with any of Mrs Nowland’s eight children, 24 grandchildren, or 30 great-grandchildren.
His next court appearance is scheduled for December 6 at Cooma Local Court.
While Mrs Nowland was still fighting for her life in hospital, her family filed a civil case against the state of NSW for negligence and trespass to a person.
Our thoughts are with Clare Nowland’s family during this difficult time, may she rest in peace.
Members, what are your thoughts on this case? Let us know in the comments below.
An officer's duty is to ensure the safety and security of every citizen, but a recent turn of events in the case of Clare Nowland, a 95-year-old woman allegedly tasered by a police officer, has cast a shadow of concern over this principle.
The case of the woman, who died from her injuries allegedly caused by the tasering of a police officer in her aged care home, has taken a dramatic turn.
The officer involved, Senior Constable Kristian White, has now had his charges upgraded to manslaughter.
This comes months after the incident, which allegedly led to the death of the elderly woman in a hospital.
An elderly woman who was allegedly tasered has passed away. Image source: Shutterstock.
On the night of May 17, Clare Nowland, a resident of the Yallambee Lodge aged care home in Cooma, was reportedly suffering from an episode related to her dementia.
She was found wandering around the facility, holding two kitchen knives. She allegedly wheeled her walking frame towards the rooms of three residents and reportedly even leaned over their beds.
The staff, alarmed by her behaviour, called the police for assistance.
Senior Constable White, a 33-year-old officer, and his female colleague were called out of bed to attend to the situation.
Upon their arrival, they found Mrs Nowland in an office, holding a knife and a torch.
Police allege that Mrs Nowland even threw a knife at one of the carers, which landed on the ground.
Despite their attempts to persuade her to drop the knife, Mrs Nowland allegedly raised her hand and pointed the knife at them.
According to police documents, Constable White activated the Taser’s warning device and pointed it at the chest of the frail woman, who weighed just 43kg.
He allegedly warned her, 'Clare, stop now, see this, this is a Taser. Drop it now, drop it, this is your first warning. See, you are going to get tased.'
When Mrs Nowland raised the knife, Constable White allegedly discharged the stun gun into her chest. The elderly woman fell backwards, hitting her head heavily on the wooden floor.
She sustained an inoperable bleed on her brain and reportedly passed away a week later at Cooma Hospital.
Initially, Constable White was charged with recklessly causing grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and common assault over the incident.
However, following advice from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and State Crime Command’s homicide squad, the charges were upgraded to manslaughter on Wednesday.
Constable White has been suspended from duty with full pay and is on bail in the Cooma community.
He is prohibited from interacting with any of Mrs Nowland’s eight children, 24 grandchildren, or 30 great-grandchildren.
His next court appearance is scheduled for December 6 at Cooma Local Court.
While Mrs Nowland was still fighting for her life in hospital, her family filed a civil case against the state of NSW for negligence and trespass to a person.
Members, what are your thoughts on this case? Let us know in the comments below.
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our heels and let the law do it’s job.
