Australian Police Officer Found Guilty of Manslaughter After Taser Incident with 95-Year-Old
An Australian police officer, Kristian James Samuel White, has been convicted of manslaughter for using a Taser on a 95-year-old nursing home resident. The verdict was delivered by a jury in Sydney after they deliberated for 20 hours.
White, who is currently out on bail, could face up to 25 years in prison when he is sentenced in the coming weeks.
The incident occurred in May 2023, when Clare Nowland, a great-grandmother suffering from dementia and using a walker, refused to drop a steak knife she was holding. White discharged his Taser at her, causing Nowland to fall and later passing away a week after the incident in a hospital.
At the time, police stated that Nowland’s injuries were due to her hitting her head on the floor and not directly from the electric shock of the Taser.
In court, footage showed White saying, “nah, bugger it” just before he deployed the Taser, despite colleagues having instructed Nowland multiple times to drop the knife. White claimed he believed anyone with a knife posed a danger.
After the eight-day trial, the jury did not accept the defense’s argument that the Taser’s use was a reasonable response to the situation involving the 100-pound elderly woman. The prosecutor described White’s actions as "utterly unnecessary and obviously excessive."
Following the verdict, New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb said that the court’s findings indicate that Clare Nowland died as a result of the officer’s actions. She extended her condolences to Nowland’s family and noted that the police had recently reviewed their Taser policies, although no changes had been implemented.
Nowland, who lived at Yallambee Lodge nursing home in Cooma, was beloved by her family, leaving behind eight children, 24 grandchildren, and 31 great-grandchildren. The case has sparked widespread discussion about the use of Tasers by law enforcement in the region.
