An Australian police officer faces a charge of manslaughter after using a taser on a 95-year-old woman with dementia in a nursing home.
Clare Nowland, a great-grandmother, passed away in the hospital a week after being tasered at the facility back in May.
The police were summoned to the nursing home in Cooma, New South Wales, due to reports of a resident wielding a knife. Allegedly, Kristian White, a 33-year-old senior constable, tasered Nowland after asking her to drop the steak knife she was holding.
The fall resulting from the taser’s use caused Nowland, who used a walking aid, to hit her head, leading to a skull fracture.
White, currently suspended with pay, initially faced charges including recklessly causing grievous bodily harm and assault.
In an official statement released online, New South Wales Police mentioned the Homicide Squad adding an extra charge of Manslaughter against the constable following guidance from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Reports suggest that when nursing home staff attempted to retrieve the knives from Nowland, she threw one at them. According to court documents cited by Sky News Australia, when White and another officer found her with an ambulance team, she was holding one knife. As the other officer tried to seize it, Nowland allegedly moved towards them with her walker.
The court documents indicate that White warned Nowland to drop the knife, deploying the taser when she raised it toward her chest, causing her to fall and hit her head while still holding her walker.
Andrew Thaler, a family friend, highlighted Nowland’s frailty and her inability to stand unaided. She was suffering from dementia and had a small stature, weighing only 43 kilograms (95 pounds) and standing at 5-foot-2 (1.58 meters).
White is set to appear in court on December 6, remains suspended, and has not yet entered a plea.
