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.

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.

Key Takeaways

• The charges against a police officer who allegedly tasered a 95-year-old woman at an aged care home have been upgraded to manslaughter.
• The officer, Senior Constable Kristian White, had originally been charged with recklessly causing grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and common assault.
• The incident occurred in May when Clare Nowland, who suffered from dementia, was allegedly tasered at her nursing home, leading to her death.
• Constable White, who remains suspended with full pay, will appear at Cooma Local Court on December 6.

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.

 

[Suzanne rose]

Looks like constable white is on holidays , off with full pay !

I'm still baffled how this couldn't have been handled differently. For goodness sake she was 43kg, frail and using a walking frame.

She had dementia so I'm thinking she was scared thinking someone was going to harm her.

The elderly need to be kept safe and protected

 

[Wendyfraser]

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.

View attachment 36206

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.

Key Takeaways

• The charges against a police officer who allegedly tasered a 95-year-old woman at an aged care home have been upgraded to manslaughter.
• The officer, Senior Constable Kristian White, had originally been charged with recklessly causing grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and common assault.
• The incident occurred in May when Clare Nowland, who suffered from dementia, was allegedly tasered at her nursing home, leading to her death.
• Constable White, who remains suspended with full pay, will appear at Cooma Local Court on December 6.

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.

I don’t think he should be charged, as she had a knife and she was threatening residents and the police, no one knew what she was capable of doing. She had to be stopped it was extremely sad for her family and I think the nursing home has lot to answer for. Her wing should have been locked leaving access to the kitchen impossible and more staff to monitor residents would have prevented the situation

 

[Penny4]

I seem to recall the nursing home rang her nearby relatives to come and help/talk to her. However, the relatives didn't answer or ignored the call. The relatives are of course angry, although I bet they regret not answering that phone call.
Those nursing homes are grim at the best of times. They get paid wads of money from patients, one would hope they could deal with crisis situations with dementia patients.
It appears they can't even control that.

 

[Lizzie1149]

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.

View attachment 36206

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.

Key Takeaways

• The charges against a police officer who allegedly tasered a 95-year-old woman at an aged care home have been upgraded to manslaughter.
• The officer, Senior Constable Kristian White, had originally been charged with recklessly causing grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and common assault.
• The incident occurred in May when Clare Nowland, who suffered from dementia, was allegedly tasered at her nursing home, leading to her death.
• Constable White, who remains suspended with full pay, will appear at Cooma Local Court on December 6.

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.

Very sad this one. Two people could have taken the knives with no ill effects at all. Why use such violence on frail aged. What are they teaching the recruits at the academy and a what are the requirements for policing in the station houses that would make a young man feel so threatened by a very elderly frail lady

 

[Lizzie1149]

I don’t think he should be charged, as she had a knife and she was threatening residents and the police, no one knew what she was capable of doing. She had to be stopped it was extremely sad for her family and I think the nursing home has lot to answer for. Her wing should have been locked leaving access to the kitchen impossible and more staff to monitor residents would have prevented the situation

I doubt that she would have done much damage. 43kg isn't. a lot of weight. Frail is what I call it. One person on each side (as the other constable had already offered to get the knives off her) probably would have done the job. Also what about lateral thinking. All they had to do was throw a blanket over her hands. Unless it was a steak knife it would be hard for a person like that to stab anyone. Reality meeting excessive fear me thinks

 

[Lizzie1149]

Looks like constable white is on holidays , off with full pay !

I'm still baffled how this couldn't have been handled differently. For goodness sake she was 43kg, frail and using a walking frame.

She had dementia so I'm thinking she was scared thinking someone was going to harm her.

The elderly need to be kept safe and protected

Yeah agree. No the type of solution for the situation. How many staff were there. What kind of training did they have. I could make a suggestion but would be vilified for being a racist but there are some people working in aged care who don't have the empathy of others. They tend to leave people when they need them most. Just my opinion and not all of them

 

[Suzanne rose]

Yeah agree. No the type of solution for the situation. How many staff were there. What kind of training did they have. I could make a suggestion but would be vilified for being a racist but there are some people working in aged care who don't have the empathy of others. They tend to leave people when they need them most. Just my opinion and not all of them

My 19 year old is studying nursing, her last work placement was in a public hospital and the age care ward. There was a man going berserk yet she managed to calm him down . Not sure why but the nurses were amazed how she did this. My daughter said all it takes is empathy, patience and a lot of talking.

Even if the person is large and very violent there are ways around it.

There are Too many untrained staff in our nursing homes

 

[maxesmum]

I just can’t wrap my head around this. Why two heavy young people couldn’t have manhandled this old lady,if necessary or come to some other solution. They had her in the office. She was no longer a threat to other residents,this just appals me. One could have distracted her while the other disarmed her. There are dozens of ways this could have played out! And the staff??? They are trained for this…yet they called the police? Pretty poor excuse for staff,in my humble opinion.

 

[Veggiepatch]

Aged care and disability care have many parallels when it comes to challenging behaviour. The level of training in this aged care facility in managing such an incident most have been non existent for staff to call for police assistance. This resulted in the worst possible outcome for all concerned.

 

[I'm Mal]

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.

View attachment 36206

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.

Key Takeaways

• The charges against a police officer who allegedly tasered a 95-year-old woman at an aged care home have been upgraded to manslaughter.
• The officer, Senior Constable Kristian White, had originally been charged with recklessly causing grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and common assault.
• The incident occurred in May when Clare Nowland, who suffered from dementia, was allegedly tasered at her nursing home, leading to her death.
• Constable White, who remains suspended with full pay, will appear at Cooma Local Court on December 6.

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.

Very definitely excessive behaviour by the constable. A frail little old lady even with a knife is no threat to a big burly copper. He would have had a baton with which he could have knocked the knife out of her hand. At worse she would have suffered a couple of broken fingers or broken wrist but still been alive. If he was afraid of an elderly lady with dementia who was half his size and needed a walker to get around, then he is pretty gutless and should not have been a copper. No sympathy for him and no room for cowboys in the police. He must face charges and plead guilty to manslaughter.

 

[Leenie]

I don’t think he should be charged, as she had a knife and she was threatening residents and the police, no one knew what she was capable of doing. She had to be stopped it was extremely sad for her family and I think the nursing home has lot to answer for. Her wing should have been locked leaving access to the kitchen impossible and more staff to monitor residents would have prevented the situation

The nursing home is at fault ,this poor lady should not have been able to access weapons, the police officer was only doing what they are trained to do , anyone with a knife or weapon is dangerous and police are only doing their job.

 

[Veggiepatch]

Very definitely excessive behaviour by the constable. A frail little old lady even with a knife is no threat to a big burly copper. He would have had a baton with which he could have knocked the knife out of her hand. At worse she would have suffered a couple of broken fingers or broken wrist but still been alive. If he was afraid of an elderly lady with dementia who was half his size and needed a walker to get around, then he is pretty gutless and should not have been a copper. No sympathy for him and no room for cowboys in the police. He must face charges and plead guilty to manslaughter.

So right! Police like solving the simple "crimes" such as walking against a "don't walk" sign (I have actually witnessed this!). But when it comes to anything that requires some level of physical activity or potential threat to themselves, they avoid it like the plague.

About two years ago, an ice addled resident went berserk in a rampage of substantial property damage, smashing windows and plaster, destroying a washing machine, ripping doors off kitchen cupboards and threatening anyone who came near him, including myself. The Victorian Police were so prompt in responding that it took them ONLY 28 HOURS to respond. When they did arrive, they knocked on his door but he did not answer, even though he was at home. They quickly left and the incident was never heard of again.

This is in stark contrast to a Brazilian national who lived at the address some years previous. Just eight detectives showed up for that event and they broke down his door with a battering ram. His bedroom walls were plastered with photos of terrorist events and murder scenes copied from the local library. But he wasn't home! They wanted him for being a terrorist risk on the basis of a bunch of pictures Blu-tacked to a wall. What a joke!

 

[Dreams]

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.

View attachment 36206

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.

Key Takeaways

• The charges against a police officer who allegedly tasered a 95-year-old woman at an aged care home have been upgraded to manslaughter.
• The officer, Senior Constable Kristian White, had originally been charged with recklessly causing grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and common assault.
• The incident occurred in May when Clare Nowland, who suffered from dementia, was allegedly tasered at her nursing home, leading to her death.
• Constable White, who remains suspended with full pay, will appear at Cooma Local Court on December 6.

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.

How sad
I don’t understand why the aged care facility could not have handled the situation and calling in the police.

Police obviously unsure of or not trained on how to deal with the elderly.
I think it is so sad the policeman doing the job to the best of his ability/training now on charges.

I would not want to nor want my children to be in the police force.

 

[Loubeauxarts]

Still amazed that he is suspended on full pay

 

[Veggiepatch]

Still amazed that he is suspended on full pay

If I was responsible for the death of a person with a disability, directly or indirectly, on my watch, I would be instantly dismissed. No suspension on full pay, part pay or a mere pittance. Zilch!

 

[David567]

All the cops are good for is booking people for speeding, theft and the similar. This cop is a murderer and I hope the bastard goes to jail for life. It might make these dickheads think before they act. No excuse whatsoever to tazer and elderly person or anyone for that matter. Tazers should be banned from use. Too many people have been killed by these gadgets. Cattle prods were banned years ago so why are cops aloud to use them is beyound me. Cops are nothing but idiots at best and should be locked in their pig pens and not allowed in public. The local cops in my town are the biggist f.....g morons I have ever seen and as Useless as tits on a bull. An example should be made of this murdering pig who calls himself a police officer.

 

[Tootie]

I don’t think he should be charged, as she had a knife and she was threatening residents and the police, no one knew what she was capable of doing. She had to be stopped it was extremely sad for her family and I think the nursing home has lot to answer for. Her wing should have been locked leaving access to the kitchen impossible and more staff to monitor residents would have prevented the situation

Absolutely agree.

 

[Tootie]

The nursing home is at fault ,this poor lady should not have been able to access weapons, the police officer was only doing what they are trained to do , anyone with a knife or weapon is dangerous and police are only doing their job.

Nursing home should be held responsible. Police should never have been called.

 

[Bullwinkle]

I don’t think he should be charged, as she had a knife and she was threatening residents and the police, no one knew what she was capable of doing. She had to be stopped it was extremely sad for her family and I think the nursing home has lot to answer for. Her wing should have been locked leaving access to the kitchen impossible and more staff to monitor residents would have prevented the situation

I am going to put my neck on the chopping block here, and say I absolutely agree with every work you have written. If for argument sake she had stab someone and killed them, this constable would still be answering questions. At the end of the day he was doing what he had been trained to do under these circumstances. A no win situation for all!!