A shocking case in Australia has reached a conclusion, as a police officer was found guilty of manslaughter for the death of a 95-year-old woman in a nursing home. The officer, Kristian White, now faces the possibility of spending up to 25 years in prison after a jury delivered their verdict following 20 hours of deliberation.
The story revolves around Clare Nowland, a beloved great-grandmother with dementia who lived at Yallambee Lodge, a nursing home in the small town of Cooma. In May 2023, Clare was holding a steak knife and refused to let it go, even after police repeatedly asked her to drop it. Then, in a moment that changed everything, White made the decision to use his Taser on her. Clare, who relied on a walker and weighed only about 45 kilograms (100 pounds), fell backward, hitting her head on the floor. A week later, she passed away in the hospital.
The police initially said it wasn’t the Taser itself but the fall that caused Clare’s fatal injuries. However, this explanation didn’t sit well with many. Video footage from the incident was shown during White’s trial, and the jury heard him say, “Nah, bugger it,” before firing the Taser. Despite being told 21 times to drop the knife, Clare didn’t pose the kind of threat one might expect in such situations.
White argued in court that his training taught him to see anyone with a knife as a danger. But the jury ultimately decided his actions went too far and weren’t reasonable given the circumstances. The prosecutor called the use of the Taser “completely unnecessary and excessive.”
Clare’s death has sparked a lot of conversation across Australia about how police use Tasers, especially in situations involving vulnerable people. After the trial, NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb offered her condolences to Clare’s family, calling the situation a tragedy that “should never have happened.” She also mentioned that while the police reviewed their Taser policies earlier this year, no changes were made.
Clare was deeply loved by her large family, which includes eight children, 24 grandchildren, and 31 great-grandchildren. Her passing has left a lasting mark on the community and reignited debates about how law enforcement handles complex situations like hers.
