Australian Police Officer Convicted of Manslaughter for Taser Incident Involving 95-Year-Old Woman

An Australian law enforcement officer has been convicted of the manslaughter of a 95-year-old woman, who succumbed to injuries inflicted when he tasered her during an incident at a nursing home.

Senior constable Kristian White was summoned to the nursing home in May 2023 as Clare Nowland, who showed signs of dementia, was slowly wandering the halls with a steak knife.

After repeatedly urging an increasingly agitated Ms. Nowland to drop the knife, White remarked “bugger it” and deployed his stun gun, as detailed in the New South Wales Supreme Court.

The elderly great grandmother fell backward, struck her head, and later died in the hospital a week afterward due to a brain bleed.

At the time, Ms. Nowland was reported to weigh under 50 kilograms, and police later characterized her as “frail.”

A jury found 34-year-old White guilty of manslaughter after three days of deliberation, according to a court official.

White maintained his not guilty plea, asserting that he had taken appropriate measures to address a potential threat.

Police denied allegations that they attempted to conceal the incident by removing terms such as “taser” from the initial statement.