Jury finds police officer who tasered 95yo woman guilty of manslaughter
www.abc.net.au
A NSW Supreme Court jury has returned its verdict over the death of a great-grandmother who had a fatal confrontation with police in an aged care home.

In short:

A NSW Supreme Court jury has found Kristian White guilty of the manslaughter of Clare Nowland, who he tasered at her aged care home in May 2023.

Mrs Nowland fell and hit her head and died in Cooma Hospital one week later.

What’s next?

White’s bail has been continued and the proceedings have been adjourned to tomorrow to consider the Crown’s detention application.

  • DavidDoesLemmy
    5·
    12 hours ago

    Police risk their lives every day and this is how we repay them? A blood thirsty woman who had nothing to lose was coming at him with a knife. She was old enough to know better than that!

    /s

  • Aussiemandeus
    318·
    15 hours ago

    I think this is wrong.

    Any one with a knife is dangerous, a tazer is a reasonable use of force.

    It’s unfortunate she fell and died, but that could happen any time anyone is tazered.

    • subignition@fedia.io
      16·
      13 hours ago

      Are you out of your fucking mind?

      She was 95 and using a walker… that’s not threatening to an adult in their thirties, let alone the FIVE adults (police + paramedics) that were responding.

      You can watch her walking around in the CCTV footage in the article.

      The officer that used the Taser was not in any danger, he was impatient.

      She was later found by paramedics and police officers, including White, in a nurses’ room at the facility with one steak knife.

      An exchange lasted for about three minutes where officers attempted to get Mrs Nowland to drop the knife and stop moving, before White said “bugger it” and deployed his taser.

      Seriously, are you trolling? Or did you stop to read and understand the article for exactly zero seconds before posting this?

    • TaleyaEnglish
      91·
      13 hours ago

      It’s reasonable force in face of threat.

      A 96 year old whose frenzied attack speed is slower than walking pace is not a fucking threat

    • octopus_ink@lemmy.mlEnglish
      6·
      14 hours ago

      Mr Hatfield said White’s use of the taser in his role as a police officer was unnecessary and excessive, given Mrs Nowland’s advanced age, her reliance on a walker, her demented state, her fall risk, and that the officers present were able to move away from her.

      Yep.