Officer's Use of Taser on 95-Year-Old Leads to Manslaughter Conviction

In Sydney, a police officer has been found guilty of manslaughter after using a Taser on a 95-year-old nursing home resident. Kristian White, 34, shocked Clare Nowland, a dementia patient, with a Taser in May 2023. Clare fell and hit her head, later dying in the hospital. The court case lasted eight days, with the jury deciding that the officer's use of the Taser was unnecessary and excessive. The incident has sparked debate about the use of Tasers by police.

Clare was holding a steak knife when the police arrived, and despite repeated requests, she didn’t put it down. The officer discharged his Taser, leading to Clare's fatal fall. The prosecution argued that the use of the Taser was not proportionate to the threat posed by the frail 100-pound (45-kilogram) woman. The court's verdict has resulted in a review of the officer's employment and legal processes by the NSW Police Commissioner, Karen Webb. She expressed condolences to Nowland’s family, who lost a great-grandmother with a large, loving family—eight children, 24 grandchildren, and 31 great-grandchildren. Despite the incident, there have been no changes to Taser policy or training in the state.

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