Clare Nowland’s death at a care home in Cooma, Australia, caused public outcry following the actions of Kristian White in 2023, and jurors have now deemed him guilty of her killing
A police officer who Tasered a 95-year-old dementia-stricken great-grandmother to death in the care home where she lived has been found guilty of her manslaughter.
Kristian White, 34, used his weapon on Clare Nowland after she was found wandering around the Yallambee Lodge care home in the town of Cooma, a town around 71 miles south of Canberra, Australia, on May 17, 2023. Police and paramedics were called to the scene at around 4am following reports that Mrs Nowland had been walking around the home with two serrated steak knives.
Mrs Nowland’s shocking death triggered public outcry, but senior constable White argued his use of force was reasonable and proportionate in a following trial. Prosecutors argued that Mrs Nowland posed no danger to the policeman, and that “impatient” White owed her a duty of care to the elderly grandma, who weighed just 48kg.
While not officially diagnosed with dementia, Mrs Nowland had been displaying signs of cognitive decline for months before her death, and had previously behaved aggressively towards healthcare workers. She had, at one point entered the room of another care home resident while holding the knives, but he told the court he did not feel unsafe.
On another occasion, she had thrown one of the knives at a staff member. Upon finding the great-gran, police said they repeatedly asked her to drop a knife she was holding in her right arm, and attempted to disarm her after donning pairs of thick gloves. Jurors were played footage that showed the woman using her walker to shuffle one metre, taking her a minute, before stopping to raise the knife.
She was Tasered by White after he raised his weapon and aimed it at her, warning her in the process, before saying “bugger it” and firing. Mrs Nowland was still more than a metre away from the policeman, and crumpled to the floor after she was Tasered, hitting her head and triggering a fatal bleed to the brain.
Crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield told jurors: “Who could she have injured at that moment? No one.” The prosecutor alleged that White was “not prepared to wait any longer”. The officer argued in a written report that he had fired his Taser as he felt a “violent confrontation was imminent”.
The senior constable also said he did not believe she would be “significantly injured” and that her death had left him “devastated”, with the defence citing evidence from paramedics and White’s service partner, who said they felt threatened by the elderly nan. Jurors ultimately returned a guilty verdict for manslaughter, with Mrs Nowland’s family thanking those involved in the case for their work.
They said in a statement issued by their family lawyer: “The family will take some time to come to terms with the jury’s confirmation that Clare’s death at the hands of a serving NSW police officer was a criminal and unjustified act.”
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said White’s employment was still under legal review. She added that the force’s Taser policies and training had also been reviewed, but were found to be appropriate.
“The death of Clare Nowland is a terrible tragedy… this should never have happened,” she said. White, who remains on bail, will be sentenced at a later date.